To The Edge of The Earth
by elmjuniper
Summary: Sin is sent to kill the Wardens, but when one of the wardens turns out to be a familiar face, she's torn & what of the bard, what is it about her that intrigues her so? Chap 21: Leliana walks in on something she wasn't supposed to see. Can Sin fix it? Femslash Sin/Leli
1. The Contract

**Disclaimer: **Dragon Age: Origins characters, names, and places belong to BioWare and what-not. Sinniralin is mine though, born many, many years before DA:O was released. I'm just writing this because I'm a huge fan of origins and there's a huge lack of FemPC/Leliana (Femslash) fiction. :)

**A/N: **This chapter is 'M' rated for language, violence, gore and adult theme, but the rest of the story will be T-rated, and a few chapters might be M-rated, but there will always be a small warning in the A/N.

I would like to issue a _**warning**_ for sensitive persons since this chapter contains – not described or detailed, but it does deal with the issue of sexual abuse (as it is depicted in one of the origins stories). If this unsettles you I suggest you perhaps read the next chapter, I will be posting a summary – which naturally will not include the part of abuse, at the top of the next chapter. So you won't be missing out.

Sinniralin is technically not a PC, but just a character that I added. So this is not following the blight from the Grey Warden's POV, but from Sinniralin's. The reason for doing this - I guess, is because I wanted to create a new character that wasn't nessecarily one of the Warden's, or the companions, but came in with a new fresh story adding to the group. It all sounds very good in my head, but we'll just see how it turns out, right? :)

This is a Sinniralin/Leliana fic. So yes, FEMSLASH. Yay! Also there will be a Cousland/Alistar pairing. So everyone gets a little of what they like. ;)

I do hope you enjoy – and if so review it because it is _**always **_appreciated! ;)

**The Contract**

"Move one inch and I'll have you dead before you can even blink."

The elf stared at the sharp blade pressed to her throat. The man wielding it was wearing fine silverite armour. His cold hazel eyes were framed by wavy black hair and his long fringe was plaited into two plaits, keeping it from getting in his eyes.

"Loghain, what gives me the honour?" The elf said where she stood naked in the water's edge of the lake.

"That would be Teryn Loghain Mac Tir for you." He said coldly.

"Very well Teryn. I must admit I'm impressed you found me." The elf stated.

"I drove the Orlesians out of Ferelden, what makes you think I wouldn't be able to find some renegade elf?" He spoke through his teeth.

"I'll give you that one." She admitted, still not moving.

"So, this is the elf who murdered Arle of Denerim's son?" A grey-haired man with a large nose asked sizing her up.

"Little, weasely Howe." The elf muttered, recognizing him from the estate she had once worked at. He would come and visit every now and then prying into the personal affairs of the family she worked for. She never liked him.

Howe walked up to her and backhanded her across the face. The blow was dealt with such force her head snapped to the side making the sword draw blood from her throat. She barely flinched, but felt her whole side burn from the blow of his knuckles. _That's going to leave a mark. _She thought to herself licking the blood from the split on her lower lip.

"So, you've found me and I'm not yet dead. I suppose I should ask you what it is you intend with me. Hmm?"

Loghain stared at her his eyes lingering on her naked, voluptuous breasts. She could see the appreciation in his eyes no matter how much he tried to mask it. Though Teryn Loghain was not known for dallying with women just for the sake of humiliating them – much unlike Vaughan who she had left in a pool of his own blood a few weeks ago in Denerim.

She'd never seen the dark-haired teryn before, but she had been part of the raw and tough underworld long enough to know who she was dealing with. Loghain was one of the few nobles whose house had never been hit by thieves or bandits because of the teryn's reputation.

It did not exceed him she noticed. He was focused and organized which was probably one of the reasons it was he who drove out the Orlesians. Another reason must have been his intelligence and mind for strategy. He'd been smart enough to lay low until she relaxed, thinking she was quite safe. He had weeded her out by mere patience and determination waiting until the moment she set foot in the lake.

Not only wasn't she wearing her armour or her shadowcloak, but the element of water incapacitated her ability to use magic. It was a perfectly set trap. But she wasn't dead so she assumed the teryn had something else planned for her.

"Well what do you want of me? Since you have not yet killed me I assume you want something, now let me know or be done with it." She said eyeing him impatiently.

"Oh, _it _thinks." Howe mocked her earning himself a sneer from the teryn.

"Yes. That is unheard of." He agreed. "Very well, I shall accommodate your wish." He still hadn't lowered his sword and the Arle had moved too far away for her to grab his short sword. "As you may well know you are wanted for the murder of the Arle's son, and believe you me when I say that death would be merciful in comparison to what they intend to do to you."

She quirked her eyebrows tauntingly.

"You would live the rest of your life in the dungeons, your only purpose to satisfy the soldiers and noblemen who come to stay at the estate. "

She almost laughed at him. She wanted to ask him what he thought Vaughan had done to make her kill him in the first place. Then again, the details of her being ravaged by Vaughan and his men after they had caught her smuggling lyrium to the underworld in Denerim was perhaps not something the arle liked to talk about. When Vaughan was done with her he threw her in the dungeons where she spent a good couple of weeks before being able to escape. Stepping out from the dungeons she vowed to kill Vaughan. One of the guards had a vial of lyrium in his pouch. It was all she needed, the magic bursting to life within her after she downed it.

A good size of the arle's home guard lay dead when she finally reached Vaughan. He was assaulting a young elven woman when she burst into his room. She saw the terrified, broken look in the girl's eyes, and before she had time to react the magic shot out from her mouth. Vaughan froze on the spot and she darted - with her magic enhanced power, across the room grabbing the nobleman by his hair hurling him across the room. He crashed into a bookcase. His thugs came storming at her, but she pulled her magic from deep within sending it out towards the advancing thugs. The first thug was sent sprawling to the side, she ignored him for the moment darting towards the second one, flipping in the air, driving her sharp blades from the front of his neck to the back, his head falling to the floor with a squishy thud. The third thug who came at her jabbed his long sword at where she stood only to find her cloak imploding and in a mere second she stood hovering above Vaughan on the other side of the room and his sword cut through nothing but thin air. In a weak effort to save his better the thug lunged at her. He stopped mid-air and she turned around look at him. She brought up her hand in front of her face moving it slowly to her left. To his horror he felt his face turn in the same direction. She kept moving her hand until the head wouldn't move any further. Then she flicked her hand. There was a snapping sound and then the thug who had hung floating eerily in the air fell to the ground. The first thug stared at her and took to his feet bustling out the room in fear.

Vaughan's eyes fluttered to life. He snickered when he saw her. "I see my little toy has been well used." He referred to the cut and bruised face from the beatings and abuse in the dungeon.

"I should sever the source of your evil, but I'm not that strong." She hissed at him. He laughed her in the face. His taunting laughter triggered the memories and images flashed before her head. She raised her arm in rage.

"No, wait, wait!" He cried out. "Wait! Let's… let's make a deal! How about you let me live and I'll give you a bag of five hundred gold?"

She stared at him incredulously before she burst out laughing. It sounded strange to her, frenzied, and broken down. "You wish to live?" She laughed.

"Yes. Name your price!" Desperation was growing in his voice.

"I don't want your money. I'll let you live. You have to live with what you've done here." She said and stepped away from him lowering the short sword she picked up from one of the guards.

He was about to start laughing, but before he had time to open his mouth she swung and released the sword from her hand and it buried itself in his throat.

Only moments after two elves had stumbled in to the room, a young boy and girl. She ordered them to take the girls and go back to the ailenage. They had done as she said and she had escaped the estate and left the village the same night, but not before she saw the young woman being recruited by a shemlen in a fancy armour to join the grey wardens. She shook her head and took off from the ceiling she had been perched on, becoming nothing but a dark shadow in the night.

Now this teryn had caught up with her and threatened to throw her back into the dungeons, unless…

"It's either the dungeons awaiting you, or… you could help me settle a… shall we say, a minor problem?" He said, and for the first time she saw something greedy glint in his eyes.

"I'm listening." She said.

"They Grey Wardens." He said. "They betrayed the king and now the renegade group travels through Ferelden trying to recruit a rebel army. It has become rather a nuisance… I am well aware of your earlier works so I propose this: you find the wardens, you follow them and report back to me, and then you get rid of them. In exchange I will give you your life and freedom back."

Sinniralin wasn't sure if she was supposed to jump for joy or kick the sword out of the man's hand asking what the catch was. She'd been working long enough in the underworld to know there was always a catch. Always something more to find out.

"As a token of my intentions to keep the deal you have the documents for your release stating you are a free woman." Loghain flicked with his two fingers in the air and a young woman wearing a commander's armour came running up to him holding two rolled up parchments in her hands.

This was too good! Spying on some people and then kill them off. It was what she did best! "Very well." She agreed.

Loghain nodded, and lowered his sword. "Tell the men to move out." He told the young woman. She signaled for them to move out and the large army turned on its heal with a loud clinging of chainmail. They were followed by the teryn and the weasely arle leaving Sinniralin standing naked in the dark night.


	2. Rumble in Lothering

**Rumlbe in Lothering**

THE COLD MORNING AIR CREPT in through the flaps of her tent bringing the first dancing rays of sunlight with it stinging her in the eyes.

Sinniralin groaned displeased and rolled over, but found that now when she was awake it was too cold to just lie there. Had she slept between furs it might have been different, but her flight from Denerim hadn't really allowed her to be picky so she'd only brought her most important things. The shadowcloak, her daggers and poison, the tattered woollen cloak she wore and her leathers. The rest had to be left behind. She couldn't afford a heavy backpack slowing her down anyway.

"Blasted…" She muttered as she rolled on to her back. Lying on her back she went over the previous night's details. The answer was always in the details and was it something she had missed she would most certainly find it there.

Looking to her side she saw the parchments lying unfolded on the mossy ground. She had thought they would be unsigned copies or at least forged, but they were both signed and branded with the teryn's crest.

She had studied the documents thoroughly last night marvelling at the authenticity. She wondered why Loghain had trusted she wouldn't just take off with the documents, but figured she'd find out sooner or later. If it was one thing she had learnt it was that everyone always had a back-up because no matter who you were, sooner or later you were always betrayed. This was an insight she learnt after her first year working the dirty backstreets of Highever. For now this would have to do. At least she wouldn't be hunted for quite some time now.

She decided she'd been stretching far too long and crawled out from the small tent. The campfire had given in to the cold night and damp morning dew, nothing but glowing embers of coal remaining. Moving over to where she had stacked some old sticks and branches for the fire the night before she stopped dead in her tracks.

The black Harpia sat stoically watching her. The bird was covered in black slate feathers and a black band ran across its wide, white chest up towards its neck. Its black head crowned by a double crest. It looked magnificent where it sat sizing her up with its black beady eyes.

"Well hello…" She said. Carefully scanning the camp for her daggers.

The Harpia didn't move, but sat like frozen. She tried moving slowly to her left, one step at a time. Nothing but its sharp eyes moved as they followed her.

Reaching for one of her daggers the bird's crests rose and stood like a crown on its head.

"Ok, not happy about that I take it, hm?"

Peering closer at the beautiful, but quite fearsome bird she saw something glint on its chest. She narrowed her eyes.

It was a bronze buckle fastened to two leather straps crossing its white chest.

"Huh, so much for dinner." She muttered, realizing the bird must be a messenger bird of some kind.

The Harpia was quite the rare bird so this couldn't be just any messenger bird. She walked up to it carefully, all the while it was studying her intently.

A small leather bag had been strapped on to its back. She opened it carefully knowing that the giant bird was known to take off more than just a couple of fingers with its beak. One of the thieves she once worked with had had his whole hand ripped off. It had not been a pretty sight and what good was a thief without his hand?

She dug around the bag and pulled out three vials of lyrium and a map.

"Tsk, tsk… Spoiling a girl with gifts." She mused to herself as she unfolded the map. A red circle had been drawn round the Imperial Highway. "So I guess that's where I'm off to…"

She turned to the bird. "Ok, you've done your part. Off you go."

It didn't move.

"Oh, sure you want something to deliver." She looked around the camp. Finally she tore off one of the corners of the map and scribbled with chunk of coal from the campfire.

_You're a doll – S. _She folded it up and put it in the bag. "There. Now scoot!" She did a shooing gesture at the bird who did nothing but stare back at her.

"What? Are you just going to stare at me all day?" She asked, hands on her hips.

"Oh..!" She chuckled when she realized the bird's purpose for simply sitting there.

"Very clever teryn. Well, looks like it's you and me then whether I like it or not, but just so you know I'm not much of a listener, so if you could keep quite that would be just fabulous." She said and fired off a sly grin.

.

"So." She said as she finished collecting her things. "What use will you be to me? I know you serve the teryn to make sure I don't run off with these." She said waving the parchments in her hands in front of the bird. "But what will you do for me? Hm?" She eyed the bird.

"You bake bread perhaps? Catch rabbits on demand? No?" She scoffed. "Come along then." She said motioning for the bird to follow her.

The bird spread its giant wings soaring high into the sky a shrill cry echoing through the forest. Sinniralin followed its flight watching it circle her. At first small circles then the circles grew wider and wider until it took the bird nearly an hour to come in to view again.

.

.

Night had fallen when the large bird came swooping down at her when she was drawing close to Lothering.

"Oh, you're back." She said secretly a little happy about the company.

It had something in its beak, hopping up to her it stared intently.

"What is it?" She asked holding out her hand.

It dropped a ball of something sticky in her hand. As she eyed it she realized it was part of a torn and shredded scalp, the flesh and hair tangled up in a bloodied mess. "Lothering?" She asked and the bird tilted its head.

Tossing the fleshy bit on the ground she pulled out her shadowcloak and one of the vials tucking it into her leather trousers. The cloak was sewn together at the chest and over the shoulders, below the fabric parted and split into long strands of fabric layered on top of each other. Twisting and turning it created the illusion of the bearer being part of the surroundings. "You keep this safe." She said and stashed her bag behind a large trunk before pulling her hood up creeping up towards the city.

.

.

The stench was unbearable even for Sinniralin who had lived and worked a great part of her life in the dodgy underworld of Ferelden and the backstreets of many cities where the stench was not very pleasant at all. The air reeked of burned, and decayed flesh and the small houses blazed with fire.

She uncapped the vial and downed its content. Scurrying across the large yard where tents had been trampled to the ground she pulled at her magic. It flared up without much effort and she opened her mouth sending out sparks of magic, trying to detect enemies.

She rounded a corner and found the remnants of a chantry. It had been brunt and defiled, its followers pinned to its burning skeleton, beheaded or gutted. She did not particularly like the chantry for more than one reason, but no one deserved a fate such as this.

Crossing the bridge her magic pushed into something unfamiliar and she stopped. Scanning the area she saw the group of genlocks.

She crouched down on the bridge seeking shelter in the dark shadows. Her shadowcloak flickered around her legs letting her become one with the shadows, disguising her perfectly.

Singing soundlessly the magic swirled and twisted around the genlocks like tiny sparks. There were at least a dozen of them – she lost count after a while. Letting the magic soothe them into a near stunned state she dashed towards the group of darkspawns, her eyes set on the spellcaster near the middle standing with his back towards her.

Thrusting with her left hand she backstabbed him. Using his body as counter-weight she swung her body up in the air kicking the hurlock next to the spellcaster square in the face as she sliced the spellcaster's throat with her right hand, tainted blood spraying all over her. The dagger released itself from his back as she swung herself in a circular motion.

Landing in a squatting position she pulled at her magic bending time slightly forcing it to slow down then she pushed with her feet in a swift movement charging at the third monster plunging both her daggers into its chest, drawing dark blood from it. Kicking him in the chest she pulled her daggers free, sending him crashing to the ground as she flew towards the next enemy, all the time she was pulling at her magic pushing it against her enemies, stunning, confusing, and slowing.

Redirecting the magic towards herself she enhanced her powers as she dodged a sword flying towards her slicing the flesh below her ribs.

She flinched and bare her teeth at the Alpha hurlock. Lashing out with her magic, using up what little she had left she sent the Alpha sprawling, then it exploded into a fleshy downpour.

Another came charging at her knocking her off her feet with its shield.

She groaned and rolled over flipping to her feet, feeling a chainmail boot hit her between her shoulder blades. She stumbled forward wincing in pain before regaining her balance.

Snatching a vial tucked into one of the small pockets sewn into the legs of her leather armour she tossed it on the ground and it shattered. Green smoke rose like flames causing the darkspawns to choke and cough. She darted around, twirling in a frenzied death dance the monsters falling at her feet.

Grabbing another vial tossing it as she somersaulted to her side she saw the remaining three darkspawns freeze and she cheered in delight as she pulled out her longbow. Strapping three arrows to it she drew it, aimed it then released it with a sharp twang.

The arrows surged through the air penetrating the frozen monsters with such force they fell to the ground. She was dashing towards them when something large shot out from her side knocking her over. She slammed into a wall hitting her head against it nearly knocking her out.

Crawling to her feet she swayed wildly as she stood up, her head spinning. The dark shadow came looming towards her in an ominous manner. It was huge and rose above her like a clock tower and scaly round body wobbling back and forth as approached her. It stared at her, its large yellow eyes burning straight into her soul.

She screamed and squeezed her head with her hands. It burned with such ferocity. She crumbled to her feet as it loomed above her.

The ancient magic reeked from it and it bent its neck.

Horror surged through her body when the massive dragon lowered its head, staring at her. This was no normal dragon. She wasn't even sure this was a dragon- in its physical form perhaps, but something within it burned with such hatred and wickedness she could not believe it was just a dragon. She fought the excruciating pain, her body protesting at the harsh treatment.

She thought she heard it whisper, or maybe roar, then the whole world swam in front of her and she fell into darkness.

**Disclaimer: **BioWare owns Dragon Age chars, places and names. Not Sinniralin though. She's mine all mine!

**A/N: **I wanted to get this post done last night, but I wrote chapter 5 for Tread Carefully, and it seemed my brain got fried and I couldn't finish this chapter off. Anyway, now it is done, and I hope you enjoy it. :) Hang in there for when Sin runs into the wardens, it shall be interesting to see what she does. :)

And a little trivia: this chapter is named after my childhood hero Jackie Chan's movie Rumble in the Brinx. ^^

Review if you feel like it – it'll make my day. :)

Thanks for reading!


	3. Past Relived

**PAST RELIVED**

TRUST. TRUST WAS THE DOWNFALL of all great men and women. Trust and love.

The first time Sinniralin realized this was when she was no older than sixteen and a well-known bard in the underworld of Highever. By the time she was sixteen she had been working the dirty backstreets for quite some time. It had all started fairly innocently when she and her sister had been scurrying down one of Highever's twisting alleys scavenging for food or leftovers. They had passed the baker's crowded stall and before she knew it her small hand had reached out and grabbed the round, newly baked bread. A man turned to look at her, but she stared back at him acting as if she had very well paid for the bread, an indignant look upon her face. His eyes darted and he nodded an apology. She snorted through her nose and kept walking.

It had been simple, a little too simple and the next time she found that stealing both bread and meat wasn't much harder. Before soon she found herself stealing more than just food. It was around that time the tall and handsome Belkin had approached her. The first time she saw him she thought he was one of the nobles coming to drag her to the inquisitor's office, but he had smiled his charming, unarming smile and offered her a better life should she choose to become part of his guild. Perhaps it was his kind green eyes which twinkled gleefully or maybe it was his charming manner that made her say 'yes' before consulting her sister.

Her sister had been angry with her for not discussing the matter with her before agreeing to it. It was either that or jealousy, at the time Sinniralin couldn't tell. She had made a deal with Belkin though before agreeing to join his band of thieves as she liked to refer to them later on making him promise her sister could come with her. Lesdra had begrudgingly agreed to go stay at the guild with her though stating: "only because I'd rather sleep in a bed than on the streets."

The next three years was spent in Belkin's guild mastering the arts of stealing and manipulating people. Belkin was a good, if not stern mentor and he trained her relentlessly. There were nights when they had sparred for so long she went to bed aching in every muscle and sinew. Belkin taught her how to use her cunning and create illusions, and he taught her how to become invisible in a fully crowded room.

It was during this time Lesdra started to stay away from the guild for longer periods of time. It started gradually and by the time Lesdra didn't return Sinniralin was so caught up in the underworld she barely had time to reflect on it. There was no note, nothing, her things had simply vanished. Sinniralin looked for her for a while in every face across the market place, but she was nowhere to be found so eventually she gave up and focused on her work instead of the dull emptiness that resided in her heart.

.

"Sin, you are thinking of something." Belkin's deep suave voice said to her where she sat in the cushioned chair opposite him sipping her wine.

She looked up at him. He was very handsome indeed. Green bedazzling eyes, a defined jaw-line and long dark eyelashes, dark unruly curls framing his face. He must be in his late twenties, judging by the small wrinkles at the corners of his smiling eyes. She smiled inwardly. The man never seemed to stop smiling his suave, charming smile. Being the youngest girl in the guild, and elf she kept her small infatuation with the man to herself. Belkin was always surrounded by beautiful women. They were always curvy, voluptuous things, not fat or chubby, but with breasts and legs one could only dream of. Unlike her they were all Shems with long and thick hair. Brunettes seemed to be a favoured colour unlike her with her pale skin and snow white hair. The only thing resembling colour with her was her piercing ocean blue eyes and rose-pink lips.

"I'm just going over the plans in my head." She lied evasively.

His eyes narrowed. "Are you trying to deceive a con master?" He asked amusedly.

She laughed and shook her head twiddling a strand of her long hair between her fingers. "Would I ever?" she asked innocently.

He huffed. "Is that not what I have taught you to do?" His eyes wrinkled in his trademark smile as he raised his cup a little.

She shook her head. "You think things will go well tomorrow?" She asked eyeing him from where she sat before turning her gaze toward the grand skyline of Minrathous.

He looked thoughtful for a while before he raised his gaze. "This, Sin will be the biggest coupe we will have ever pulled off. If things go well we'll be settled for life. If not..." He laughed. "Well, then I'm sure we will at least die a most gruesome, dishonourable death."

The thought scared her a little. They were going to break into and assassin one of the high Magisters of the Tevinter Imperium. It was a crazy, foolish scheme, so crazy it had to be done. She felt the exhilaration along with the fear mix and mingle within her. A mysterious man had approached them shortly after she had joined the guild and after much consideration Belkin had accepted the man's offer. She had thought maybe he was joking, but quickly realized he was not. This only added to the intensity of her training.

He leaned forward and lifted her chin with his thumb and forefinger looking slightly concerned. "You are not worried, are you?"

She lifted her gaze suddenly feeling a little tipsy from the wine. She covered his face with her palm nudging it gently as she laughed. "Your charms won't work on me." She teased as he laughed into her palm.

He grabbed her by the wrist and uncovered his face a sly look upon his face. "No? Are you sure because that is what they all say." He said, his face only inches away looking serious for the first time.

She smirked, this game she knew well, she might not be experienced with it completely yet, but she'd seen it played out many times before her. He was testing her, to see if she would recognize the situation for what it was. She gave him a sultry look cocking her head in a challenge, an attempt to let him know she knew exactly what he was up to. He didn't take it as such, but leant forward and pressed his lips against hers. They felt soft and gentle against hers at first then his kisses became more demanding, urging her to abide him.

Belkin was kissing her! It was still hard to fathom even as she felt his tongue slip into her mouth, and when his strong hands left her hips and found their way to her breasts she thought that surely she was imagining things. She marvelled at the sensation when he cupped her breast kneading it gently. His hands and lips moved skilfully as he unlaced her blouse revealing her youthful body in the dim light. His hungry eyes roamed her body as it had been then, untouched and pure. Then he kissed her again. She felt herself picked up just to be tossed onto the large bed. She giggled and he smiled as he undressed and climbed onto the bed.

"You find me funny, my dear lady?" He cocked his eyebrow.

"Would I ever?" She winked as he placed himself on top of her. She was about to say something more, but he silenced her impatiently with his mouth and she was happy to obey as she felt his hand stroke against her hot centre. His hands brought her pleasures she had never known before and she pressed herself hard against him begging him for more. Belkin was kissing her feverously when she felt the tip of him between the folds of her burning heat. He pushed into her slowly granting her time to adjust herself around him until he felt her buck her hips underneath him. She closed her eyes welcoming his gentle thrusts, her breath turned into little gasps and moans of pleasure as his movements became more passionate, and he buried himself deep within her whispering aroused words of desire in her ears. He picked up his speed and didn't slow until he felt her walls contract around him sending him in to bliss exploding within her.

She woke in the morning expecting to find that he had left during the night as he always did with his women, but instead she felt his soft lips pressed against her shoulder blade as he slept next to her. She smiled a little to herself at the feel of his muscular body providing her with warmth. She felt him stir behind her. Would he regret last night? How was she going to act? Like normal or should she...? Her thoughts were interrupted by his groan as he pulled her closer.

"Are you trying to pull a runner on me...?" He murmured.

She chuckled. "No, you know I wouldn't do that, you on the other hand are not known to stay the night."

He scoffed behind her back.

"Have you lost your touch or have I snared you in my web?" She teased. It earned her one of his suave laughter.

"You do not know how very alluring and exquisite you are Sin." He said sounding a little serious.

She turned to face him. _If _he kissed her she could bet her lifetime on that he loved her, which seemed more than unlikely to her. He studied her face and pulled a string of hair from it.

"Surely you must know the power you hold over me." He said.

She blushed, stuttering. "Y-you... I d-do... not!"

"But you _do_."

She giggled at his words and swatted his shoulder gently. "Stop it you flatterer. You just wanted your fun with me. I hold no illusions of what I am or am not to you."

He chuckled. "And did we have fun or not? But honestly Sin even a shameless seducer such as myself has a weakness. Mine happens to be you. Now surely you must understand how inappropriate that would have been a few years ago, barley thirteen it would have been preposterous - a crime even, though in my defence Sin, you looked much older than your age."

She stared at him incredulously. "Did you just admit to recruiting me purely because you wanted to sleep with me when I was _thirteen_?You pervert." She feigned shock in a very believable high-pitched voice.

He laughed his twinkling laughter. "See this is what I mean. You're one strange cookie."

She gave him a sultry look. "I sure seem edible enough for you."

He burst out in a loud laughter. "It's a good thing I know you're not that tacky." He said when he finally regained his senses before pulling her into a kiss.

She smiled into his kiss. He was a master illusionist indeed. She had not expected this from him, but perhaps it had nothing to do with his skills as a con master? Whatever the reason, she was happy and couldn't care less.

.

.

They had made their way into the underground tunnels running in a higgledy-piggledy fashion underneath the high rising castle when she first sensed something was wrong. She'd heard stories of the Tevinter's obsession with forbidden magic and it had made her weary of their safety. She glanced over at Belkin and the other two assassins creeping along the dark tunnels next to her. She smiled a little when she found her stomach stir and flutter at the sight of Belkin's sharp features and concentrated face. Memories from the night before burned on her cornea and she shivered slightly before turning her attention to the task at hand.

She thought she'd heard something stir behind them and glanced over her shoulder just in time to see the large creature sweep in from one of the connecting tunnels. She spun, acting reflexively, diving towards the creature jabbing her blades at it. Belkin and the others turned quickly at the soundless attack, Sinniralin's slapping boots the only sign of battle. The two assassins drew their bows, firing them with impeccable speed. Belkin called on his magic as he rushed towards the dark creature, spikes pushing out from its dark hide. Sinniralin was knocked to the ground by one of its large tentacles. Wincing she rolled over and back paddled as it came lunging towards her. The time seemed to stop when the beast leapt, all tentacles and fangs flying towards her, then in an instant time returned to normal and the beast lay dead on the side next to her Belkin hovering above it panting heavily.

"What is _that_?" She asked in horror.

Belkin circled it, the two assassins still aiming their bows at it. "Of that I'm not sure of." He poked it with his leather-clad boot. "Some sort of guardian. Strange the Giver never mentioned guardians patrolling these tunnels."

"Maybe he didn't tell us everything we need to know? This place feels strange, something's not right." Sinniralin said as she brushed the dirt off her knees.

"No matter, we have a task to accomplish and the Giver won't pay us unless it's done. Let's press on." He said sternly.

She sheathed her daggers at her hips following him straining her ears listening for any other guardians. There were no more of them and they found their way through the hidden door leading to the Magister's library. It had been easy, too easy. Something pecked at her consciousness and she tried desperately to figure out what it was. There was something eerie, yet familiar about the place. She glanced around the large library as they shuffled towards the door then stopped.

"Now it's all up to you Sin." Belkin told her as he rummaged around the thin leather bag he had strapped to his side. He pulled out something looking like a shredded cloak.

She frowned, what was she going to do with that?

"Here put this on. It shall help you reaching the Magister's study undetectable."

She felt a strange sensation as she put it on. It reminded her of what it felt like when the sun crept out after a long winter, caressing the snow covered ground. It swirled at her feet in a snakelike manner where she stood. She looked up at Belkin.

"Just be careful. We will meet you back here in ten minutes, that's all we've got before the Watchers have finished their rounds. Once they are back in position there is no way for you to escape, is that clear?"

She nodded biting her lip in concentration.

"Remember, move along with the Watchers movement, as long as you do you will be safe." He instructed her then he slowly opened the door. Peering into the thin hallway he waited a little longer before motioning with his hand. "Hurry now. I will mend time from here best I can and _be careful_."

She crouched and slid out through the door keeping close to the shadows, moving soundlessly across the carpet covered floors. She crept along the hallways twisting and turning, moving as swiftly as she could. She heard the first Watcher long before she saw him and she slithered in underneath a elegant sofa embellished with golden embroidery on it. The Watcher moved in a floating motion and she wondered whether the legends of the Watchers were true.

The Watchers were said to be old tevinter mages, possessed by something darker then the Fade's abominations. These mages were – unlike the abominations, still in control of their own minds, and whatever demonic essence lived within them fed them with their unnatural powerful magic. They said Watchers had no soul and where their hearts once beat nothing remained but a black hollowed out empty space. That was the reason Watchers could not be killed unless you found its heart and pierced it.

She lay there until the Watcher rounded the corner. She had to be quick now or the Watcher behind would see her slither out from the sofa and sound the alarm or worse, deal with her itself. She moved swiftly along the corridor the shadowcloak helping her melt in with the deep red drapes which adorned the walls. She followed the passage stopping where two corridors met glancing sideways before continuing, all the while listening intently for any forewarning of Watchers. At the second passageway she turned left speeding up. She came to a halt in front of the impressive wooden doors leading to the High Magister's study. She couldn't have missed it even if she tried to.

She took a deep breath and braced herself before pushing the door open with both her hands. The Magister's study was grand. Across the top of the walls ran a golden border which was richly detailed with strange creatures and symbols. She undressed to her thin linen garments and walked slowly into the room. The High Magister's chair was turned towards the large windows gaping out at the grand view outside.

"My Lord." She cooed. "Jaryn told me you require my services today." She said as sultry as she could her daggers hidden in her boots. The boots had been made purely for this occasion and looked more like fine ball boots than an assassin's boot. Jaryn was the Magister's right hand man who thought that his master paid him far too little to keep his secrets, especially when Belkin had waved a bag of coins at him. Jaryn's greed had gotten the better of him and Belkin had retrieved the information of the Magister's appetite for young girls.

The chair swung around and a fairly handsome man stared at her. He seemed unconvinced. "You are not what Jaryn usually sends me. You did not bump into the... Magistress hope." He said in his strong tevinter accent. At first she found it hard to hear what he said, but quickly deciphered the strange accent.

"No my Lord, I assure you I did not." She said feigning coyness.

The Magister rose from his seat and approached her. He moved in a confident manner, circling her in a predatory manner. He chuckled slightly at the sight of her, undressing her with his eyes. She couldn't possibly have felt any more exposed had she been completely naked. He clasped her face with one of his hands, turning it to each side studying it closely. She let him which was perhaps why she was surprised when he backhanded her across the face so that she fell backwards. She started up at him in shock, her cheek blazing with pain. He laughed as he leaned over her, a most unpleasant laugh, and released himself of his robes and silky trousers.

She grabbed desperately at her boot as he forcefully spread her legs trying to rip off her undergarments. Feeling the hilt at her fingertips she gritted her teeth stretching further. Her fingers barely had time to close around it before he shoved her back onto the cold marble floor. She hissed at him angrily, twisting in the very same manner Belkin had taught her and practiced with her so many times. He growled angrily trying to force her still tugging at her briefs, but she used the force from her twist to swing her hand clasping the dagger at his head. It buried itself in his temple with a horrible cracking sound. She saw his eyes widen and he made a grunting noise before he fell to his side, his dark blood spraying onto her white undergarments. She back paddled away from him scrambling to her feet. The blood felt hot against her skin and she grimaced wiping her face off.

She scurried over to her clothes pulling them back on her mind set on making it back to the library before the Watchers round was done. She was about to put on her shadowcloak when the door flung open and five Watchers burst in through the door.

"There!" She heard a familiar voice call out. She spun around, the cloak still in her hands.

"Lesdra?" She stared at the strange yet familiar figure in front of her. Lesdra had been just a nuance darker than Sinniralin, but now she stood opposite her hair as black as the night, dark circles around her eyes, with mauve lips.

"Hello sister..." She said in a monotonous, dead voice, the Watchers hovering behind her like ominous shadows.

Belkin! Sinniralin's thoughts reeled through her head. Had they found the others or was it just her? Were they safe? What was Lesdra doing here? "Lesdra, what are you doing here?"

Her sister stretched where she stood her dark eyes seizing her up. "I thought you might be the one to do it..." She croaked. "I never thought you'd be able to finish it though." She added looking at the high Magister's lifeless body.

Sinniralin felt a chill creep up her spine. "What do you mean?"

"Don't be foolish now Sin. Did you really think I was completely clueless as to what your plans were?" She cooed. "I knew everything and I am here to stop you from leaving." She flicked her hands and they burst out in yellow flames.

Sinniralin backed away slowly. "You're a Tevinter mage now? I kept you safe from the templars all that time for you to turn to the Tevinters?"

Lesdra snorted. "An apostate! Apostate Sinniralin!" She shrieked madly. "That's all I was ever going to be. No... I could never settle for something like that, not with the power I knew I could have. Look at me now Sin." She said pulling up her hood.

A wave of terror and hopelessness washed over Sinniralin as she gasped. "No Lesdra, tell me you did not call upon Tes'Hathr! You know what that did to mother..."

"Tes'Hathr..." Lesdra purred. "The forbidden God, father to the archdemon, father to the two..."

"I know the story." Sinniralin cut her off feeling the bitter resentment well up inside.

Their mother had called upon the forbidden God in an attempt to gain enough powers to keep them all safe from the templars. Lesdra was right in one thing, their mother had been weak and the God's essence had poisoned her soul and turned their mother into something worse than an abomination, a creature who fed on souls and dead flesh. The last time Sinniralin saw her before leaving for the city with her sister their mother had given in to the madness and nothing but an empty shell remained of her.

"Then you must see the differences. She was weak, look at me I have more power than mother could have ever dreamt of." A cold smile crept on to her face. "I have so much power that I have - in fact, put an end to the great con master and thief Belkin."

Belkin's head landed by Sinniralin's feet with a loud thud. Despite herself she screamed at the sight of her love's head rolling to a stop by her feet. She felt the tears well up from her eyes. Not Belkin! He was everything she knew, her mentor, her friend, her lover, her safe harbour.

"Why?" She cried staring in horror at her sister. What had she become? This was not the Lesdra she grew up with.

"I require gold and power. Gold can be required through services to the Magisters and inquisitors and powers come from the Tevinter scholars who have been taught by the old gods themselves. The price on Belkin's head was more than what I needed, and as a bonus I will be getting yours as well. There will be no more worries about my schooling in magic."

"Gold, you sold me out for a fistful of gold and some measly magic lessons?" Sinniralin felt herself treading on the edge of madness.

"What else did you think?"

"I don't know, revenge, hate, an attempt to conquer the world!"

"It's so you Sinniralin, making things far more complicated than what they have to be." Her sister took a step towards her. "It has been nice to see you sister, but I'm afraid I have more important things to attend to."

Sinniralin felt herself slung backwards by an invisible force. She grunted sensing Lesdra's magic rush towards her in another attack. She rolled over pushing to her feet swinging her body as a bolt of electricity brushed against her right arm. She gritted her teeth at the burning sensation in her arm. Tearing at the shadowcloak slipping it on she jumped and dodged Lesdra's magic.

Time slowed as the shadowcloak fell onto her shoulders and a familiar coiling stirred in her stomach. She pushed it down refusing to use her magic. She'd managed this long without it she would manage without it now as well. Looking up she saw Belkin's severed body lying in a pool of blood behind Lesdra. Struggling against time she skidded towards it grabbing it with both her arms. Lesdra's and the Watchers' movements were starting to catch up with her and she knew she had to hurry. Pulling the heavy body along with her she dashed out in the corridor seeing her enemies spin around. Time was running out and Belkin's body was too heavy slowing her down considerably, but she couldn't leave him.

_Come on! _She shouted inwardly as she tugged at her mentor's body. She cried in frustration pulling him harder as she heard time snap behind her back, her pursuers rushing towards her. She stared at his body, the silver charm he always wore still hung around his severed neck. She grabbed it and let go of the body dashing for the end of the corridor. The cloak billowed behind her as she fled, tears streaming down her face, hardly remembering which way she had come from. Turning a corner something heavy crashed into her sending her hurtling across the hallway. Pushing to her feet she felt the sharp blade bury itself in her back. She gasped and fell to her knees in agony. Lesdra pulled her up by the hair giving her one final stare before she whispered into her ear.

"Good bye _sister_."

Then she felt herself shoved backwards crashing through one of the castle's large windows falling headlong towards the ground below.

Trust. Trust was the downfall of all great men and women. Trust and love.

TO BE CONTINUED…

**A/N: **So, here it is, the update to Edge of the World - finally! I'm sorry it took so long but Keeland has been taking up quite some time along with my own books and the work I'm doing for Ms. Kempa.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter where we got to know a little about Sinniralin and her background. I hope you'll keep reading this story as I myself is really excited to see where Sin will take us and what impact she'll have on the wardens and their companions.

Future romances are: Sin/Leliana and Cousland/Alistair.

So yes, for the weak hearted there will be Femslash, if you're not a big fan I urge you to broaden your horizons and give it a try. :)

Enjoy and till next time go read Tread Carefully if you haven't already. ;)

Don't forget that reviews make me a happy, happy girl.

Keep it real! (To quote Booty Bay's goblins)

/Elmjuniper

Ps. I'm still in need of a beta-reader so should you feel the desire to, drop me a mail. :)


	4. The Demon And The Chantry

**THE DEMON AND THE CHANTRY**

THE STENCH OF DRIED BLOOD and decay swirling like a mist through the early dawn woke her up.

"Ugh..." Sinniralin's eyes fluttered to life. She blinked dizzily, trying to focus on her surroundings feeling a wave of nausea wash over her. She crawled onto her hands and knees and vomited her head spinning violently. Glancing around she tried to determine where she was. The memory from all those years ago burned within her mind making her unsure of what was real and what was not.

_Lothering_. Her brain recognized for her.

It felt as if she'd been dragged through all of the Fade and back to earth again. Then again the memory she had relived during her black out might as well have been the same thing. Her head and body throbbed with a dull ache and she could hardly move. She sat on her knees leaning on to her cuffs as she waited for the nausea to pass. She sighed and winced as she let her fingers slip across the back of her skull, feeling the swollen bump and crusts of dried blood.

"Gross..." She muttered to herself before she tried to stand up on her wobbly legs. She stood up too fast and her head swam with nausea again. She fell to her knees and vomited, chuckling in despair at her pathetic situation.

Hearing the Harpia's familiar cry she glanced ahead of her, Loghain's bewinged little thug.

"Oh... hey..." She whispered weakly, not moving.

It cocked its head at her, beady black eyes flickering her leather bag resting at its side.

"Aww... you brought me my bag, Loghain taught you well. I'm sure you're quite the gentleman." She said, happy that she wouldn't have to go back looking for it. She crawled up to it and shoved her hand into it digging around until her fingers brushed against a health potion.

"Oh yes!" She uncapped the vial and downed the bitter tasting content. "Ugh!" She rested a little longer until the potion helped numb her pain and ease the nausea.

"What was that?" She asked the Harpia, thinking back at the large dragon. Why had it left her alive? She stood up slowly moving just as efficiently as an old lady. As she scanned the village an eerie feeling crept on to her. There was nothing left of Lothering but ashes and sot. Even the darkspawns bodies had been burnt to the ground. Everything had been soiled but the fire, everything except one spot.

She felt her blood curl as she watched the spot she stood at. The grass was still green and damp there completely untouched by the fire. She spun slowly following the edge of the green, sparkling grass with her eyes. The edge created a perfect shaped circle. She stared at it in confusion.

"By the gods..." She whispered. What was going on? How could all of Lothering, even the smallest rodent, have been burnt to the ground except her? How was that possible?

Something from the memory swirled to life in her head, but she pushed it aside. No, it couldn't be that. She shook her head turning to the Harpia.

"Come then, we've got a long way to and I've been... well gone for too long."

She slung the backpack onto her shoulder remembering that day in the Magistrate's castle before pushing it aside concentrating on the task ahead.

.

.

Redcliffe wasn't much bigger than Lothering and lay silent when she arrived. What little was left of the town was closed and barred, evidently trying to keep something from breaking and entering. She could only imagine what from her own brawl with the dark dragon last night. She crossed the worn out stone bridge gazing up at the two large gates barring the castle as the Harpia came swooping down landing by her feet.

"See anything interesting?" She asked as she trotted down the slope towards the centre of the village. Gazing across houses she saw something similar to a tavern. A bed for the night and a bath was all she needed. She would have plenty of time to catch up with the Grey Wardens the coming days. The bird pecked at her hip demanding her attention.

"Yes?" She said absentmindedly as she steered towards the tavern. The bird pecked at her hand and she opened it tentatively this time, remembering last time the bird had tried to tell her something. A bronze amulet fell into her hand. She held it up in front of her eyes between her fingers scrutinizing it. It seemed to be some sort of initiate amulet. She'd seen amulets similar to this one being used in different groups to reinforce the feeling of being part of a fellowship. She snorted and tucked it into one of the tiny pockets on the inside of her cloak thinking she had better keep it. If it hadn't been important the Harpia wouldn't have brought it to her.

She pushed the heavy tavern door open stepping in to the warm room. A scent of newly baked bread and meat stew slithered underneath the gap of the kitchen door, curled and twisted in the air, teasing her nostrils and she felt her stomach rumble.

"Can I help you?" The redheaded barmaid asked.

Sinniralin turned to look at her. "Yes, I need a room and somewhere for my... messenger bird to stay at."

"There are plenty of rooms available. Your bird can stay with you if you wish." The barmaid said in a sweet tone.

"My bird, in my room?" Sinniralin asked frowning.

"Lloyd the man I work for is not here at the moment, and even if he was I still wouldn't care what he thought." The girl explained.

Sinniralin raised an eyebrow at the girl. "You must really like your boss then."

"Couldn't imagine a nicer bloke." The barmaid said sarcastically. "I could put up with his sleazy comments, but the grabbing and touching..."

"Why are you still here then?" Sinniralin asked, cocking her head.

"What else would I do? I was hoping he'd fight along the Grey Wardens and maybe... not return." She said looking sly.

"The Grey Wardens?" The elf asked casually.

"Yes, this young girl and her followers came as if they knew we needed their aid against the monsters attacking the village every night. It was quite amazing, I tell you. They killed every single one of those monsters." The barmaid explained her eyes glowing with excitement.

"That sounds very amazing indeed." Sinniralin agreed. So they Grey Wardens had been here, question was where were they now? Loghain had marked the map, but nothing said he'd been right about their location.

"Well, I best let you get to your room. I didn't mean to bother you with my talk." The barmaid said glancing bashfully at her.

"Oh... no really I enjoyed your talk, had I not been so tired I would have asked you to join me in my room to keep the talk going." Sinniralin said smiling her crooked sultry smile.

The girl laughed at the elf's remark. "Well, perhaps another time then?"

"Most certainly my Lady." Sinniralin winked.

"Well for now, how about some drink and food to keep you company in your room?" The redheaded girl asked.

"Sounds lovely." Sinniralin answered before ordering a tub with hot water and soap to be brought to her room. The barmaid had nodded and scurried off and Sinniralin had spun on her heels walking out to fetch the Harpia.

"You might not like it, but you're sleeping indoors tonight mate." She said and shoved the door open, the Harpia hopped in studying its surroundings suspiciously.

"Come on you little thug, I know you normally hang around these places picking fights, but when you're with me you'll have to behave."

The Harpia cocked its head a little at her.

"That'sch a prchetty biir-dh you gotsh there." A soldier slurred taking a step towards her. Sinniralin chuckled. He probably thought his drunken stumble was a suave swagger and that his slurring was his usually charming voice.

She shook her head and kept walking towards her room when she felt his hand grab her upper arm.

"Heeey, whe-hic-re are yoush goh-ingh?"

As if on command the Harpia arose like an angered dragon next to her its crest standing on its head, wings spread wide and a hiss escaped its sharp beak. The man took a drunken step backwards releasing her arm.

"He is _very _possessive, you see." She winked at the man walking past the Harpia putting a safe distance between her and the drunken man who stared at the aggravated bird.

.

.

"I'm starting to think that you might actually like me." Sinniralin murmured to the bird as she undressed and climbed into the tub filled with hot water. Her body was battered and bruised and she sat down slowly letting her skin adjust to the heat. When her body was fully under the water she closed her eyes and sighed relaxing for the first time in a very long time. Steam rose from the hot water, covering her face like a nice warm blanket. Her muscles started to loosen up, the tension in her muscles and ache in her body lessening.

She thought about the night before, at the ominous dragon she had encountered. During the pain it had afflicted on her she had felt something else. She couldn't quite understand what it had been, but it had felt as if they were connected on some strange level. Something pushed its way from the back of her mind, a small detail reminding her of that day in the High Magister's study. _You're just like me_. Her sister's voice echoed in her head. Sinniralin growled in frustration blocking the memory out. No need to dwell on things from the past you could do nothing about anyway. It was one of the many things Belkin had taught her.

She smiled at the thought of him and his twinkling eyes, and suave laughter.

"You were such a charming chap." She mused loudly to herself. It had been years since she lost him. She rested her hand on her belly staring at it. Blinking away the tears she fiddled the silver charm she still wore. She drew a deep breath and shook her head relaxing into the healing water. She sunk underneath the surface and held her breath. It always had a calming effect on her. The sounds of the rowdy tavern dulled by the thick water, the only sound she could hear was her distant heartbeat. Breaking the surface for air she remembered the amulet tucked inside her cloak. She leaned over the edge of the tub trying to reach it in a vain attempt. She muttered under her breath cursing the water's effect on her magic.

"Hey little thug…" She murmured to the Harpia. "Could you please hand me the amulet?" She pointed towards the heap of leather armour on the floor.

It obliged obediently dropping it onto the palm of her hand. She studied it once more in the dim light from the chandelier standing opposite the tub. It was round in shape thin lines seemed to run from the middle to the edge of the amulet giving the appearance of a beaming sun. A 'W' was etched into its middle surrounded by strange symbols. Flipping it she saw text engraved into it running in a circle along the amulet. The text created a perfect shaped circle. Twisting it round she read the text aloud. _In war, victory. In peace, vigilance. In death, sacrifice. _

"Huh, very poetic." She said as she let her hand rest on the tub's edge. Her eyes felt so heavy. Nodding off, the amulet dropped to the floor clanging loudly as it bounced and rolled before coming to a stop. She sighed loudly and scrubbed the dried blood and dirt away from the past days travelling then she slid out of the tub drying herself off before creeping into the large bed. She chuckled satisfied as she sunk into the thick pillows before falling fast asleep.

.

.

The men stared at her as she walked into to the tavern's bar wearing the studded leather pants and a loose fitting thin linen tunica, a leather belt at her waist keeping it fashionably in place. She knew very well the effect the hint of a pair of firm looking breasts had on most men and women whether they were admiring them or just noticing them.

She smiled as she remembered looking at Belkin's mistresses wishing she had as curvaceous bodies like theirs. She'd been just a girl then not knowing that by time she was eighteen her alluring appearance would overshadow most women. She wore her snow-white hair carelessly tied up at the back of her head strands of unruly hair breaking free and they twisted and curled towards her shoulders and thin leather strings kept her long fringe in place keeping it from falling in her face. Her high cheekbones and defined eyebrows were a pleasant contrast to her piercing, big, ocean blue eyes.

She saw the fat man the barmaid had been talking about last night. Lloyd, was it? He eyed her hungrily, undressing her with his eyes. She could see him lick his lips absentmindedly as he wrung his fat hands together.

This was going to be easy! She placed her bag on the counter smiling innocently at the barkeep.

"Ah, sweet Bella did not tell me we had such a… _beautiful_ guest staying with us." He said emphasizing the word 'beautiful'.

She blushed and smiled coyly averting her eyes to the counter.

"You slept well?" He asked trying to sound casual.

"Very much so." She said gently, adding. "I had such a lovely bath last night."

Lloyd chuckled, his eyes lingering a little too long at her chest. She wore a coy look as she smiled. "Something about me you find interesting?"

The barkeeper blush slightly. "N-no..." He stuttered at her boldness. Surely he was not used to women like that.

She let a seductive chuckle slip across her plump lips. "There's no need to be shy, but surely your wife would not be happy to find you staring at me."

Lloyd's face lit up in a queer grimace that was supposed to resemble a smile. "Ah, well you needn't fear. This... _stallion_ has not yet been tamed." He said rolling up his sleeves as if to emphasize his manly stallioness.

She let her eyes twinkle playfully. "So I take it this town isn't always this dull?" She said biting her bottom lip.

"No _as _dull, but nothing really happens around here. Not until those wardens came about and shook things up."

Sinniralin feigned excitement. "So I was told, it sounds so amazing. I wonder where they'll be going next. They must have _so _many places to rescue."

"I think the gossips said they were heading for Lake Calenhad something about mages." Lloyd said in an attempt to keep her talking for a while longer.

She smiled as she pulled at her magic pushing it against the barkeeper's mind soothing him, coating his feelings with just enough magic to make him trust her fully. She felt his conscious merge with hers and she had to focus to keep them apart. She drew a deep breath and looked at him innocently.

"Look, I must go to the Chantry and recite the chant, could I leave my bag here with you while I do that?" An imaged from Lloyd's mind flashed in her head. She wore Chantry robes, her legs spread wide as Lloyd thrust into her. Sinniralin cringed at the mental image. Bella was right. That man really was a sleaze.

"Of course, thought it'll be safer in the back." He said motioning for the larder. Much to Sinniralin's surprise he genuinely meant it. She nodded.

"Well, follow me." He said taking the lead. She obliged casting a quick glance across her shoulder before entering the cramped larder. The tavern was nearly empty save a few customers who seemed too busy being drunk to notice anything.

She shut the door silently behind her and before the fat barkeep had time to react she caught him by the throat in the bend of her left arm pulling him close to her body. Using her right arm she locked his head, pressing hard at the back of his throat with it. She pressed so hard his windpipe was completely blocked, depriving him of air. He tried desperately to twist himself free of her arms, but her lithe built was nothing but an illusion to the strength she held. It didn't take long before he slumped in her arms. As he did she used both her hands to break his neck. It twisted all the way around with a snapping sound and his body crumpled to the stone floor. She looked at it before she opened the larder door and walked out to the young barmaid. As she passed her she slipped the keys to the tavern into the pocket of her apron. Some of the guests turned their heads watching her.

"Looks like you've got yourself a tavern to run." She winked before leaving the stunned barmaid behind. As she left the tavern she heard the barmaid's surprised, but not frightened nor sad yelp. The Chantry's building caught her eyes as she heard the commotion erupt at the Tavern. She glanced over at the Chantry sighing. She better make sure the girl wouldn't get any trouble because of Lloyd's dead body. His dead had benefited her after all, it would be a pity if they accused her of his murder.

She steered her steps towards the Chantry feeling the burning sensation start to crawl underneath her skin the nearer she got. Pearls of sweat were breaking out on her forehead as she pushed the heavy wooden doors open. Her body protested at the harsh treatment and she nearly doubled-over with the pain racking through her body. Gritting her teeth she staggered towards one of the lay sisters who looked at her as if she was a drunkard. The pain cut through her like sharp daggers and she cursed under her breath. Feeling the magic protest inside of her she willed it to be still. A bookshelf fell over – seemingly by itself, and she knew she would have to push the magic further down.

She heard a gasp and saw the revered mother turn towards her with a frightened expression. "What are you doing here? You are a child of darkness, how can you enter the Maker's holy domain?"

Sinniralin blinked, shaking her head as the angry darkness coiled within her, eyes glazing over. The hundreds of small candles that were lit behind the revered mother died out with one single gust.

"I came to pay my debt." The elf answered through her teeth fighting the insufferable pain, grasping for control.

"Your debt?" The revered mother asked. The young initiates and lay people had drawn closed to the walls in fear of the strange elf before them that the revered mother had so clearly condemned.

Sinniralin pulled a see through orb from her pocket. "Lloyd's soul, I killed him." She said dropping it to the floor. It rolled to a stop by the revered mother's foot.

The revered mother looked up in horror and backed away from her. "You're a death wraith!"

The Chantry's visitors gasped in fear.

"I suppose that's what you humans call it." Sinniralin gritted her teeth as she retreated from the revered mother slowly regaining strength with every step she took closer to the exit.

Sinniralin felt her strength return fully as she passed the stone bridge leading out of Redcliffe. Looking up she saw a man trotting down the path on his horse.

"Ser, please ser, my husband and child are ill and I need a horse to get back with these blessed amulets from the revered mother or else they will not sit by the Maker's side." She pleaded with him. During her painstaking visit to the Chantry the top buttons on her tunica had come undone, and her hair hung in long strands from the bun. She imagined she must look quite distressed. She rummaged around her pockets and fished up a gold coin.

"I'll pay you one gold." She pleaded with him once again holding up the fake coin for him to see.

He seemed to be a stern yet fair man in his fifties and nodded eventually. "Very well." He answered slipping off the horse.

She swung the hilt of her dagger towards his head. It connected with his temple. He groaned and swayed before he fell to his knees and grabbed his head. Using his arched back as a springboard she leapt in to the saddle and nudged the horse into a gallop with her heels.

"My horse you stupid wench!" He cried out after her.

She pushed the horse as hard as she could feeling its muscular body flex underneath her as they flew across The Imperial Highway closing the distance between herself and the wardens. They were close now she could feel it in her bones, bloodlust gripping her. She smiled. As soon as the Grey Wardens had been dealt with she would be a free woman. _Free_. The seductress eyes turned dark, something sinister dancing in them.

.

.

The redheaded bard woke up with a jolt breathing heavily, her eyes darting back and forth. Realizing she'd been dreaming she relaxed just enough to crawl out of her bedroll. Pulling her cloak tightly around her as she stepped out in the cold night air she saw the dark, taciturn warden sit by the fire.

"We should leave." She said when she reached the warden.

The young girl looked up. "Why?"

"Something... evil is following us, something far worse than darkspawns." The bard – not easily shaken, looked frightened.

Deanna Cousland knew the bard was right. Ever since the joining she'd felt the connection to the darkspawn the endless singing of the archdemon, but lately something else had made its presence clear, something that overshadowed even the archdemon itself. Eyeing the bard she nodded.

"How do you know this?"

"I had a vision."

TO BE CONTINUED...

**DISCLAIMER: **BioWare owns all the names, characters, places, plots, objects etc that you may recognize from the game, anything else that can't be found in the game is mine. Sinniralin is definitely mine all mine! ;)

**A/N: **I realized perhaps this story is supposed to be marked AU since Sin isn't actually part of the game? Not sure, anyone got any suggestions?

So Sin is catching up with the wardens... interesting. And what is a Death Wraith? And will she kill the Grey Wardens or not? So many questions, so little time... ;)

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Also, I'm looking for a Beta-reader for both this text and _**Tread Carefully For Memories Claimed My Soul**_ so if anyone feels like getting lots of happy, happy karma from me send me a message. :)

Till next time!

/Elmjuniper

PS. If you want to review the story... I'm not going to complain. Don't be shy now. Click the link. ;)


	5. O'Leohat: The Dark Bride

**O'LEOHAT: THE DARK BRIDE**

WHEN SHE WAS YOUNGER SINNIRALIN had never quite understood why she didn't grow up with the Dalish elves, but had lived isolated from the Dalish, chasinds, and apostates, always on the move, never staying at one place for longer than necessary.

When her magic first displayed itself she thought perhaps this was the reason, maybe their mother feared they would be taken away? As she grew, she realized this was not the case. Still they kept fleeing from something. The templars her mother once said though Sinniralin was old enough to question this statement, highly doubting the templars was the real reason. Then one day their path had accidentally crossed with a group of chasinds. The group had stopped dead in their tracks when they discovered Sinniralin and her mother and sister.

"We want you no harm O'leohat." Their leader had said. Holding his arms out to his side he stopped the rest of the group from moving towards them, or did he protect them? Sinniralin had frowned upon the strange word he used to address her mother. Perhaps it was a shemlen word?

It was not. Later on when she and Belkin had stolen some documents for the arl of Verehiel the golden back of a book had caught her eyes in the arless of Val Foret's study. She peered closer standing on her toes while reading the letters. _O'leohat: The Dark Bride_.

"If you want it grab it, but make it quick we must make haste Sin." Belkin had whispered behind her.

She had grabbed the book and scurried after him. Later on that night when she was alone in the guild's commons she pulled out her book. It pulsated with something wicked and dark. She could feel it as she let her fingertips slide across the granular cover. It felt like being electrified by those Lyrium eels one could find in Marnus Pell. Belkin had smuggled one to Orzammar once and she had had the pleasure of seeing it before he delivered it. It had a sinister eerie look to it its black scaly body radiating the blue tint of the Lyrium dwelling within it. She opened the cover carefully and read the first few lines.

The book detailed the rise of the Chantry and the prophet Andraste. However this book seemed to be a collection of texts that had been removed from the chant. The book alleged that perhaps Andraste was not the Maker's chosen one, but simply an extraordinary powerful mage. Possessing powers none had seen before, further more it claimed that Andraste had a sister, Aithne. This was when things had become interesting and as she read on Sinniralin found there was something familiar about the whole text. Aithne and Andraste had been the twin daughters of a powerful mage. It was unclear who the father was and the children had seemingly been conceived without the participation of a male. This resulted in persistent rumours that the mage had struck a deal with the Creator of the Old Gods - Tes'Hathr. In exchange for a fragment of his powers she would grant him his spawn to carry out his will on earth. The deal had been struck and the two infants born, but as they grew Andraste developed her own will straying from her father's plans.

According to the chant it was Andraste's mortal husband Maferath who betrayed her, but according to this book it was Aithne who had betrayed her sister. Aithne had followed the course that had been laid out for her, carrying out her father's evil deeds. She had entered into a union with a Demon thus becoming the Dark Bride – O'leohat. What became of her after Andraste's dead was unknown, but the forbidden lore – lore which was not to be spoken of, most evidence of its existence burnt, detailed how Aithne had withdrawn into hiding with her husband awaiting the return of the Creator of Old Gods. The book mentioned Andraste's last prophecy allegedly prophesising the rise of O'leohat's children. Turning the page she had been disappointed to see that the prophecy could only be found in one book throughout Thedas, _The Search for the True Prophet_.

Sinniralin had looked up from the book feeling uneasy. The chasind leader had called her mother O'leohat that day in the Arbor Wilds. Perhaps he had been mistaken?

She shook her head thinking of the last time she had seen her mother before her mother descended completely into madness.

"Stupid girl. Stupid little girl." Her mother had muttered where she sat scraping her inch long nails against the trunk of a Wildtree. Her hair hung in long muddy strands reminding Sinniralin of dark twisting leeches.

"Mamae?" Her mother hadn't so much as looked at her. "Mamae." She persisted.

Her mother's head jerked towards her, glazed over, dark eyes twitching in a horrid manner.

"Tes'Hathr calls to me da'len. Your father... he wants you back now."

Her father? Her mother had only ever mentioned their father once stating he had died and there was nothing more to say. Her mother grabbed her by her wrists hissing madly.

"Sinniralin embrace Tes'Hathr, embrace your father!"

Her mother had tried to bite her after she threw her into the thick trunk. Sinniralin had barely managed to escape scrambling to her feet. Grabbing her frightened sister they fled the Arbor Wilds never to look back again.

Now when she sat in the commons with the thick golden book in her hand she realized the chasind leader had not been mistaken that day. It was a scary thought to think that her mother had been the Dark Bride. But if her mother had indeed been the Dark Bride, then what did that make Sinniralin and her sister?

.

.

Humans called them Death Wraiths. The elves called them Aognaidh. Dwarves called them demigods. Others called them Demons, different people called it different things, but it was a big misconception that those names meant the same thing. A death wraith was the Collector of the souls of mortals. Allegedly they collected the souls of any of those which they killed, feeding the old gods with them. That was the death wraith's main task, feeding the gods, at least that's what the lore most people had heard said, not many knew the truth that the death wraiths were still paying the debts the magisters who crept into the Golden City brought upon the old gods. At times Sinniralin wished she was in fact a Death Wraith, not often, but sometimes. Death Wraith weren't demons they were simply shadowed beings. Death Wraiths couldn't kill just anyone. To kill someone the person would have to be able to see the wraith, and to see a wraith meant you were close to death. No, she was no Death Wraith such restrictions did not apply to her. She was something far worse.

She travelled all day and night her cloak billowing behind her. She pushed the stallion as hard as she could, forcing it to gallop across the Imperial Highway. Lloyd's face danced before her eyes. She grimaced from the stallion's back. Killing was so easy. It came so naturally for her when she entered that stage, stripping herself of emotions. Then came moments like this when there was nothing else to obstruct her mind with and memories of old conquests and victims fared before her eyes. She shook her head forcing the mental image away. Unlike her sister Sinniralin wasn't as cold-hearted and sinister, not that it hadn't taken her a lot of effort to remain this human, her darker side always threatening to take over should she lose control of herself. It was a relentless and tiring battle raging within her every waking moment. At times she wondered why she didn't just give in and let the darkness she was born from engulf her, turning her into its slave, but then she remembered loving Belkin, spending hot days underneath the summer sun on the streets of Highever a content feeling resting in her chest, she remembered the face of a young noble woman pushing her hand into her own, and she knew that even for just those memories she could not let herself be turned into the old gods' merciless champion.

The chestnut stallion snorted wildly through its large nostrils as its strong toned body charged across the dirt road and the elf ducked low in her saddle. She could feel its muscles tense and relax with every movement it made. She stopped only a few times to allow the stallion to rest and drink water. She watched it as it bent its head low drinking from the murmuring stream. It was a young stallion and even though she had pushed it far too hard its stamina was infallible. By dawn they came to a slow trot by the open fields of Savea. The stallion snorted as she scanned the area from its back. She could see the vague outlining of Kinloch Hold at the horizon and to her right lay the vast lake Calenhad its dark waters rippling in the early dawn breeze. The early morning mist lay like a thick blanket across the field, the sun hardly penetrating it. She slid out of the saddle and landed on the soft grass with a soft thud. She pulled on her shadowcloak the heavy mist rolling in and out around her legs like waves on a stormy sea.

"You wait here." She told the chestnut stallion then turned to the Harpia. "You scout ahead. Off you go."

It did as it had been told, soaring soundlessly into the sky. Sinniralin hunched down into the mist becoming invisible as the cloak swirled and twisted around her. The wardens must be near. She could feel a strange sense of connection to them. She had never experienced such thing in her life it was almost as if they were bound to each other on some strange level.

She crept through the forest, senses alert. She studied the ground but found no signs of the group. From what she had gathered by listening to Bella and Lloyd there were no more than four of them travelling together. She frowned reaching for her magic, their presence was strong yet she found nothing. She kneeled brushing the ground with her leatherclad hand. Her eyes glinted and she grinned wickedly.

"I see you travel with a rogue." She mused. _And a good one at that_. The rogue had covered their tracks remarkably well almost tricking her. _Almost_. Whoever this rogue was she or he was highly skilled. She smiled. This was going to be so much more fun than she had expected. Feeling the excitement of the chase build and increase within her she stood up and laughed gleefully as she raced back to the stallion.

.

.

"It is still stalking us." The bard said to their leader. "I've tried to shake it off, but it keeps on coming back."

"It just won't give up." Deanna Cousland eyed the camp with her meticulous eyes as she tried to determine the chances of someone or _something _ambushing them.

"It doesn't feel like a darkspawn or the archdemon." The blonde human standing next to her said. "It feels worse." He shuddered.

Deanna nodded thinking there was a familiar feeling to the thing stalking them. She frowned as she tried to decide what it was failing miserably.

The bard spoke again. "In my vision..."

"You mean in your _dream_." The sultry witch interrupted her.

"I... it's not a dream. Believe what you want Morrigan, but I know it's a vision. I believe in the Maker's holy plan for me." The bard retorted confidently.

The witch scoffed and narrowed her eyes. "'Tis a good thing _someone_ does."

"Perhaps we should just try and get to the Circle of Magi as fast as we can. Since we're up and about we might as well move out." The blonde warden suggested.

"Yes Alistair, what a marvellous plan. Let's keep on travelling until we collapse from exertion, then surely our stalker won't catch us." Morrigan goaded the warden who simply glared back at her.

"Morrigan does have a point." Deanna cut in. "We have to rest."

Suddenly the bard waved her hands hushing them all silent her eyes darting back and forth.

"I thought I heard something... I could swear..." She mumbled as the other companions watched her intently. "We best keep an extra person on guard tonight." She said peering in to the pitch black woods. "Its stalking us as if we were nothing but a helpless prey."

.

.

Sinniralin smiled from the branch she was crouching on watching the small camp. They knew she was following them. She had let them know wanting to fill them with weariness – keeping them on their toes. She eyed the redheaded rogue. So that was who had been putting her tracking skills to the test. Impressive.

The group was a rather odd one by the looks of it. She hadn't yet been able to determine everyone's role, but she'd spotted the rogue easily. It was the way her eyes moved, constantly scanning ahead of the team, searching not only the ground for hints and clues of enemies nearby, but also the trees and the sky. Sinniralin had yet to run into such a thorough rogue as herself, but she was starting to suspect she had met her equal.

Then there was the witch. It had only taken her one look at the witch to see her for what she was. She had studied the auras surrounding the witch. They were powerful, not to mention dangerous, to normal mortals she would be considered a lethal weapon, Sinniralin would merely think she was a bit of a nuances were she to take her out.

Aside from the witch and the bard there were the three warriors – the tall, _huge _one, the blonde human who seemed to be in his late twenties, and the young woman. Sinniralin had never seen the last warrior's face since she either wore her helmet or disappeared into her tent shutting the rest of the companions of the group out. _Interesting..._

Watching the peculiar group of misfits she couldn't help but wonder why the teryn wanted them dead so badly. She admitted to herself that she found herself being curious as to what they had done or what potential threat they could possibly be. Why was the teryn so eager to rid himself of these people. They Grey Wardens weren't generally liked by all, but she'd heard tales of them. They must know something that the teryn did not want them to know or tell anyone about. Yes, he seemed like the sort of man who would kill for something like that. Looking at it, it all seemed so curious. Curiosity. It was a peculiar thing and it had killed many men and women she had worked with. Taranis was the only other girl working as a rogue in Highever when Sinniralin was at large there and there was always this unspoken rivalry between them. Then one day when one of the nobles in Highever ordered a new chore from Taranis her curiosity had gotten the better of her as she wondered what was in the odd-looking package she was to deliver. The streets had whispered about how she had opened it to take a peak and she had been found scattered across Highever a few days later.

Belkin had taught Sinniralin that curiosity was sure to be the rogue's and bard's downfall should he or she ever fall for the temptation. So Sinniralin had simply gotten used to not asking questions, however this time...

She shrugged as she snapped back to reality again. Watching the female warrior she narrowed her eyes. There was a certain familiarity to her. Sinniralin couldn't really decide what it was, but she knew she would figure it out eventually. For now she'd seen enough. She leapt off the ledge she sat on somersaulting in the air before landing soundlessly on the ground.

Not long now. The wardens wouldn't even see it coming. Casting on last glance across her shoulder she smiled wickedly as she disappeared into the deep woods.

TO BE CONTINUED...

**A/N: **Sinniralin is getting closer and closer to the wardens and their companions. As I've said earlier this story really deviates from the game's storyline this is mainly because I wanted to add someone new, someone... blank. Someone who could observe the blight from a-whole-nother POV someone with a whole different origin story.

**NEWS! **There have been fanart made for my other story Tread Carefully. If you want to check out either the story or the fanart browse into my profile. Click on the link Tutchangers and you'll find her lovely fanart.

**TEASER: **"You there!" The dark-haired witch snapped at the man. Why is Morrigan so mad? Find out in the next chapter. :)

Till next time!

/Elmjuniper

Ps. Please excuse any weird phrasings or sentences or misspellings. I've been up sin 4 am and it is now 11.30 pm so my eyes are closing and I did grammar/spell check while being half asleep. If anyone however does feel like beta reading my text, send me a message here on .


	6. Battlegrounds

This chapter is has one explicit sauciness bit in it. You have been warned. Explicit, but hot. ^^

Also Nimue is pronounced: Nim-oo-ay

And I made up the word teryness from the fact that Cousland's father is a teryn, her mother a teyrna, so I simply decided she would have to be a teryness. ^^

Enjoy!

**BATTLEGROUNDS**

_ONE MINUTE SHE'S CRASHING HEADLONG towards the jagged rocks surrounding the castle, the next she feels the __shadowcloak implode. It was strange feeling it for the first time. It felt as if someone pressed their palms hard against her chest then jerked her forward with force. She tumbles and rolls onto thick, soft grass grunting loudly. The pain and shock is excruciating and she whimpers feebly as she feels her life bleeding out of her._

_Images flash before her eyes then she descends into darkness, welcoming the release. Bright white, light flares before her eyes, blinding her then she feels someone grasp the hilt of the blade piercing her chest. There's a quick tug and the blade cuts through her flesh as its being pulled out from her back. She hears her own blood curling scream the unbearable pain washing over her._

The elf jolted awake from her dream her heart thumping wildly as she clasped at her chest. It burned fiercely and her breath came in small gasps. The charm which hung around her neck burned at her chest, glowing like burning embers. The dream started to fade from her memory and her breathing gradually returned to normal, her heartbeat slowing. Where were all these dreams coming from, and why had her old memories resurfaced since she had faced that horrendous dragon? It was slightly unnerving to be having them she thought to herself as she absentmindedly let her fingers stroke the long, but barely visible scar across her chest.

.

_Ailill_. She still remembered his name, the elven healer who had worked on her injuries tirelessly since they had found her on the field that day many years ago. He barely took breaks for food and water, remaining at her side until she woke up. The first thing she had seen was his kind eyes looking at her intently.

"Belkin?" she had whispered weakly

"It is good to see you awake da'len." He said, his deep voice soothing her. "How are you feeling?"

"Ugh..." She managed to croak.

"No wonder, you were badly wounded, but we will speak of that later, you really must rest, both of you."

She nodded at this strange man before drifting off to sleep again. She had slept for another two days and when she woke up she found herself in a Dalish camp in the Brecilian Forest. She couldn't remember how she got there and all the Dalish knew was that they had heard a strange crashing sound and found her lying on the grassy field battered and bruised. Ailill, the healer who had found her had taken to her instantly, courting her with the occasional compliment, flowers and such, but Sinniralin's heart still belonged to Belkin at that time.

She hadn't told them about what had happened to her, it was easier to pretend that she couldn't remember anything and not have to talk about it rather than to go back and relive the memories that haunted her in her nightmares, but she missed Belkin more than ever. Missed his company and the silent love they had shared for one another, his suave mannerisms and deep chuckle. She missed how he would comfort her with just one look and how he always made her laugh and she missed his ability to always see life from the bright side.

It wasn't until Ailill once again had mention her as them that she realized she was with child and she broke down in a heart wrenching cry as she clutched her stomach in which the small miracle of their love grew. She didn't know where to go or what to do with a child. She knew she could live more than a comfortable life should she find another Guild to join or perhaps work on her own, but the underworld was no place for a child to grow up and leaving the child to someone else to raise it was out of the question.

"I can't believe you left me on my own to deal with this." She chided Belkin before deciding that growing up in the Dalish clan surrounded by people who would love and adore it would be best for the child. So she stayed with her new clan which in a sense replaced the Guild she had lost.

Nimue had been born prematurely the very same day the first snow fell in the Brecilian Forest for the first time since the Blessed Age. The child had been beautiful, her eyes as strangely blue as Sinniralin's, her hair as dark as Belkin's. As she had discovered later on Nimue had her father's stubbornness and her mother's abrasiveness. Nimue had also inherited both her parents' carless recklessness for getting herself into more trouble than any of the other children.

During the months that passed Sinniralin noticed some drastic changes. Her strength and speed had increased immensely, and her magic which she had always been able to control seemed to have grown stronger and flared up every now and then. The magic no longer felt as it had, but it felt dark and sinister, evil and she tried desperately to keep it pushed down, but it flared up with every strong emotion she had whether it was happy, sad, excited or depressed. Perhaps it was a side effect of being pregnant? Later on she learnt it had nothing to do with being pregnant.

By the time Nimue was five Sinniralin's longing for the city has increased and she was growing restless in the stillness of life in the clan and decided to bring her daughter back to Highever. The journey had been long and slow, but Nimue had enjoyed the adventure revelling in the brush of air against her face as they rode through the lush forest.

What awaited Sinniralin when they arrived to Highever surprised her greatly and made her wish she had returned sooner. Belkin's Guild had been far from crushed and shattered by his death, but had grown to twice the size, many joining the Guild in honour of the true con master. Glub the big, stocky right-hand man of Belkin who reminded Sinniralin of a large bear had kept the Guild alive after hearing of his master's death. Not believing his eyes when he saw her he pulled her into a fierce hug nearly crushing her.

Glub was the biggest, scariest man you could possibly find in Highever and there weren't a lot of people who had never heard of him and those who hadn't usually weren't from Highever to begin with. Tough and scary as he might be he burst into low rumbling sobs, tears streaming down his dark cheeks when he saw the bewildered little girl tugging her mother's hand.

"I can scarcely believe it." He said squatting in front of the small girl as he watched her resemblance to Belkin and Sinniralin.

"Mamae..." She whispered through the corner of her mouth keeping her eyes at the strange crying man.

"Don't be shy Nimue. That's father's friend, go give him a hug."

The girl shone up in a smile putting her tiny arms around Glub's thick neck best she could giggling sweetly.

It had been wonderful coming back to the Guild, a feeling of home and belonging settling in once again. Glub even managed to get Sinniralin work as a sentinel at one of the largest estates in Highever. Living with the Guild, but staying away from the underworld had been her plan, but old habits die hard and soon enough she found herself working for the Guild once again using her new found femininity to become the most skilful seductress Thedas had seen in many years. It did not take her long to realize her body had changed in the years that had passed becoming lascivious eye candy. She quickly picked up what caught men and women's interest, how to move, talk and act. Another thing she picked up was how to satisfy her victim to the point they were convinced she was theirs. People always underestimated what a seductress could accomplish or perhaps it was Sinniralin who was exceptionally persuasive. She could get the nobles to change their votes in the Landsmeet, give up their most prized possessions, and even throw themselves in to harm's way for her sake. Later on she started going rounds in the underworld's battlegrounds.

The battlegrounds were held every fifth night in the Ruddy Tavern. Entering the battleground was easy enough – it was winning it unscathed that was hard. Sinniralin did not want her daughter to see her battered or bruised therefore winning without getting her face smashed in was her main priority. The rules were simple. No amour. No magic and NO killing – all else were considered fair play. There were no restrictions applied. Men and women fought each other, the winner meeting the next contestant in line. The more rounds you went the more coins you earned. In Sinniralin's that meant a lot of gold not to mention easy gold. It was all going well, Sinniralin had gone undefeated since she started, but then came the day when the teryness decided to enter the battleground.

The teryn's family or rather his kids were known to be spoiled brats getting what they wanted when they wanted it. Sinniralin had no patience for such nonsense, but Glub specifically told her _not _so much as touch the girl or to even pull a hair from her head. She hadn't argued thinking the teryn's daughter wouldn't get that far in the tournament anyway. Yet another time in life she had been proven to be wrong.

.

Smiling she eyed the blonde teryness. She was a few years younger than herself and very good looking, her eyes radiating neither arrogance nor the spoiled abrasiveness she'd heard rumours of. Instead they shone of curiosity and warmth. _She's welcome to wrestle me down any day of the week. _Sinniralin smirked. The young teryness took it as a challenge, charging towards her. Sinniralin met her half way using less than a fraction of her strength. She thought the teryness might shove her or maybe try to swipe her legs from underneath her, but instead the young woman twisted her body sideways swinging with her arms at Sinniralin. They connected with her chest with a loud thumping sound. The teryness used such force Sinniralin was knocked off her feet. The air went out her lungs as she landed hard on the blood splattered stone floor taking great care in not smashing the back of her head cracking it open on the floor. The girl was on top of her in a matter of seconds straddling her as she pinned Sinniralin's arms to the floor with her hands. The girl's face was so close to Sinniralin's their lips would have touched had she lifted her head slightly.

"You're holding back on me." The girl said in her sweet, half-frustrated voice eyeing her with narrowed eyes.

Having the lovely, young woman straddling her sent waves of warmth through her body and she grinned, cocking her eyebrow as she bucked her hips. Not hard enough to throw the girl off, but enough to cause her mound to grind against the teryness' heated centre where she sat on top of her. The girl's eyes bulged in surprise and shock at the lovely friction the movement caused.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want it any other way." Sinniralin sneered wiggling her hips, bucking them ever so slightly. To most people it would have looked as if she tried to slither out from underneath the teryness, but Sinniralin made sure that the young woman knew that this what _not _what she was trying to do.

The girl blinked fiercely wavering slightly where she sat on top of Sinniralin, her eyes searching the seductress looking for answers to unspoken questions. They both heard the crowd roar and cheer as the judge counted down seeing the undefeated rogue taken down by a new comer. The teryness blushed profoundly at the arousal Sinniralin's wiggling and bucking caused her, still not moving intent on winning this game the woman underneath her was playing. They barely heard the judge announce her the winner. Sinniralin chuckled at the girl's surprised face when two men came running up to her pulling her off Sinniralin, cheering and patting her approvingly on her back.

Sinniralin laughed and shook her head as she brushed herself off and stood up again. The teryness had been strong, very strong no doubt, but she had a few years of practice ahead of her before she would do any real harm.

"Good girl." Glub announced as her strode up to her releasing a sigh in relief. "I thought you were going to give me trouble there for a while." He smiled knowingly.

"Me? Would I ever?" She asked innocently batting her eyes at him.

"Would you ever." He chuckled a rumbling chuckle pulling her in with his left arm for one of his fatherly half hugs. "Now let's get you a drink before we go home." He added pulling her along to the bar as another battleground started.

.

She was sipping on her beer revelling in the life and excitement in the underworld. Living with the clan had been wonderful, serene, but the underworld was her home, it was all she knew. Scheming, assassinating, seducing, all different kinds of chores the nobles, kings and queens ordered from them. They were the biggest Guild in Highever, second biggest in Ferelden. This life was different, and not as bad as most people made it out to be. It was tough, indeed, to be one of the few women working this deep down in the underworld. Most women became bards doing _light chores _as they referred to them. That meant they stole, and manipulated, performing the occasional assassination, but not like Sinniralin. She was better than many of the men working for the Guild carrying out the most dangerous chores most men and women would not even look at. Then again she had been trained by a true master. At times she felt guilty about it, putting herself at risk when she had Nimue to think about, but she knew, as long as she had her daughter waiting for her at home she would never be caught or killed. She would not let her daughter grow up without her mother and this drove her to accomplish the most difficult of schemes successfully.

She glanced over at the dark-skinned, large man standing next to her and smiled. Glub, her companion and comrade in arms. He was like a big brother always looking after her making sure she and Nimue were always taken care of and feeling well. Not that he needed to do that, he knew she was more than capable of taking care of them, but he loved them in his own special way and he had become the father figure Nimue had never had. He taught her how to shuffle a deck of cards and how to play Dead man's Luck, a game with seven dices played by the Guilders on stormy nights when chores could not be finished. It was endearing to see the most feared man in Highever put under the thumb by a six year old girl who had become the apple of his eye. He made them both feel safe and secure and Sinniralin found he was one of the few she could be herself around. Not even when she told him what she had become after hers and Belkin's battle at the Magister's castle in Minrathous did his support and unconditional love waver. And when nightmares and sorrow took over he was the one who brought her back from it. Glub was the one who saw her magic rise and grow into something dark, and dangerous. Glub was the one who helped her battle the newborn demonic essence dwelling inside of her, making sure Nimue never noticed the days when Sinniralin was overtaken by it, left a dark shadow of herself and Glub was the one who figured out water seemed to keep it latent, rendering her magic useless.

"She was a pretty little thing the teryness, wasn't she?" He interrupted her amiable thoughts of him.

She laughed at him slapping his arm. "I suppose she was, surely I would not kick her out bed at least." She winked as she felt someone tap her shoulder. Turning around she found herself face to face with the blonde teryness. The battleground behind them had reached its boiling point and the crowds were roaring so loudly in excitement she could barely hear the young woman talking to her.

Glub caught the interested look in Sinniralin's eyes smiling slyly as he leaned in towards her ear announcing his departure and that she needn't worry about Nimue. She nodded and grinned before motioning for the girl to follow her. The teryness obliged and followed her into one of the women fighters' back room.

"Well?" Sinniralin inquired as she turned around facing the girl.

"You let me win." She accused her narrowing her eyes.

"Should I not have?" she asked flatly.

"No you shouldn't. I could have taken you in a fair game." The girl was obviously annoyed.

"Still you won without bruises or injuries on that pretty face." Sinniralin purred with a wink.

The teryness cheeks flushed. "You're changing the subject." She objected.

"To quite a nice subject, wouldn't you say, hm?" She asked as she let herself drop into a soft leather armchair eyeing the girl hungrily. She knew the innocent girl would be flattered, eventually granting the seductress her wish.

The teryness tilted her head. "You are flirting with me."

Sinniralin stood up again walking up to the girl. The teryness was a head shorter than her and she leaned in closely their bodies brushing against each other as she whispered. "Should I not have?"

The girl seemed to waver, swaying a little. "I... am not sure it's appropriate." She said her voice thick.

Sinniralin chuckled seductively. The girl was inexperienced, it would be so easy to bed her, but much to her dismay she felt it was perhaps not fair to the young chaste teryness. She was probably saving herself for her future husband.

"Well... if it's not appropriate then perhaps we should not stand so close." She whispered huskily as she withdrew, the girl's body trembled in protest.

"Now, did you come talk to me just to tell me off for letting you win?" Sinniralin's eyes twinkled as she knew this was not why the girl had come to fetch her, question was, did the girl know that as well?

"Yes, well, I don't like being treated like some orlesian wall flower." The girl said indignantly.

"Well, then I apologise. Is there any way I can make it up to you?" She asked a little sultrier than she meant to causing the young woman to smile coyly.

"No, there's no need... I think..." She answered slowly as if to think of something or was she trying to insinuate something?

"Well you are too kind." The seductress murmured as she leaned in and gave the fair teryness a soft kiss on her silky cheeks. As she withdrew she felt the girl's hands intertwine themselves in her long hair as she was pulled into an eager kiss a little surprised at the sudden boldness the teryness displayed. She let her tongue slip into the other woman's mouth kissing her. At first carefully treading this new territory, then their kisses deepened and they kissed feverishly as passion overtook them both. The girl pressed herself up against the seductress desperately trying to close whatever distance lay between them.

Still kissing they stumbled towards the leather armchair Sinniralin falling backwards into it with the teryness on top of her. Her hands roamed passionately across the leatherclad tight body, the teryness straddling her once again. She gasped in pleasure as Sinniralin loosened her leather top taking one of the pink, ripe nipples in her mouth sucking and nipping on it, kneading the other one gently. The teryness pressed herself into her mouth moaning contently as Sinniralin's tongue swirled around her hard nipple, her head hanging, eyes shut, fingers clasping the seductress head.

"No..." She protested when Sinniralin withdrew, but sighed contently again as the seductress kissed the base of her neck, hands slipping in underneath the armoured leather skirt she wore, deft fingers slipping in between her wet folds. The teryness gasped at the wondrous feeling, grinding her mound at the seductress fingers stroking her into near madness, though avoiding the pink, swollen bud demanding the other woman's attention. Growling in frustration she bit into Sinniralin's neck causing her to groan in pleasure adding to the sensation of the teryness' hand which found its way inside her briefs giving the seductress the same treatment she herself was receiving. The girl was not as innocent as she appeared. The seductress finally granted the girl her wish stroking her bud with her skilful fingers alternating between pressing hard and flicking gently. The teryness' hair came undone from the bun it had been pinned up in as she grinded her hot, wet snatch against Sinniralin's fingers.

The small room was dark and hot their bodies glistened from the heat they radiated as they pressed hard against each other. Their kisses deepened becoming more intense as Sinniralin pushed her two fingers into the teryness' snug, feverishly hot core, stroking her velvety walls, pressing upwards with her fingertips on the soft cave's ceiling drawing lecherous, loud moans from the young woman's pinkish lips. Sinniralin marvelled at the blonde teryness tightness as she withdrew and slid back into her. She let her one hand come up to the girl's hair grabbing a fistful pulling it so that the girl's head fell backwards exposing her inviting neck as Sinniralin's fingers thrust into her. She could feel the teryness mimic her movements as she rode her vigorously, bucking and grinding as she whimpered and gasped, breathing heavily. Feeling the girl's wall swell around her fingers, starting to contract Sinniralin thrust faster and harder, pushing deeper into her the girl meeting her even more eagerly. Sinniralin closed her eyes drinking in the feel of the young woman and her fingers inside her, heat building up until she had to bite down her bottom lip to hold herself in check. The teryness' breath came out in ragged and irregular thrusts until her walls clenched around Sinniralin's fingers and their ecstasies caused them to cry out softly with one final thrust.

The girl tensed, moving in slow, shaky thrusts on top of the seductress fingers until the extreme wave of heat ebbed out and she slumped forward, collapsing on to Sinniralin, breathing heavily. Her hand came up to stroke Sinniralin's face when the door burst open and the man yelped in shock at the sight of his sister in such compromising situation.

"Deanna!" He called out in shock.

The girl jolted upright. "What? Fergus!" She cried in despair as she tried to cover up withdrawing her hand from Sinniralin's pants.

"By the Maker sister! Anyone could have walked in here!" He chided her, covering his eyes with his hands. "You know mother would be infuriated if someone were to... find out about this."

The two women covered themselves up quickly, the teryness standing up. "What I do is none of mother's business, and as she said, as long as I keep it clean and nice..."

"Well what about her?" He said nodding towards the white-skinned elf.

Sinniralin snorted. "You needn't worry. We had our little fun and I hardly remember who the girl is, and by tomorrow she will be well forgotten." Sinniralin said coldly.

"I... that's is fine." The girl mumbled looking hurt.

"Good." Her brother agreed, nodding in appreciation at the seductress.

She cast one last glance at the girl before leaving her and her brother standing as she slipped out into the crowded tavern disappearing into the night.

.

.

The Harpia cried its shrill cry bringing the elven rogue out from her memories. Shrugging off the memories of a life which did not belong to her any more she rolled out of her bedrolls a dull ache rumbling through her heart. She crawled out from her tent and found the Harpia sitting stoically by the fire as if to guard their small camp. The darkness lay across Ferelden like a punctured canopy, a millions tiny glimmering stars staring down at her and She rubbed her eyes tiredly. She hadn't meant to sleep for this long. She had lain down that afternoon thinking she would rest for a little while.

In the beginning when she had first started to deal with what she was after Lesdra seemed to have pushed her over the last threshold to the gate's of Tes'Hathr's that day in Minrathous, sleeping was the only way to keep the darkness residing within her at bay. Later when she met Glub again he taught her about water's effect on creatures like her. Then two years ago Glub suggested trying Lyrium arguing that Lyrium restricted the use of magic and in that way she could still use her magic and be in control of it as long as she took Lyrium not using any more magic when she felt the substance leave her body. She objected at first arguing that it might increase her magic even more, releasing the sinister essence inside of her she fought so badly to keep at bay. After much persuasion from both her daughter and Glub she finally decided to try it. Lyrium had a similar effect on her as water had, but instead of disabling her use of magic completely it just limited it.

She looked over at her leather bag. The lyrium was gone. She shook her head. She would have to get more somehow. She didn't need it to finish the chore given to her from teryn Loghain she could easily rely on her rogue skills for that. She needed it to keep the monster in her where it should stay.

"You wouldn't happen to have any lyrium?" She asked looking tiredly at the Harpia. Today was a bad day and she felt unusually tired. Perhaps it was the intensive travelling she had done the past couple of days after her close brush with the Chantry.

"No, you probably don't." She said as the Harpia hopped up to her nudging her cheek with its cold beak. She patted it gently on its head, scratching its soft neck. Her eyes fell on the map with the large circle indicating where she would find the Grey Wardens and her face lit up in a wicked grin.

"Ok, looks like we've got work to do." She said and stalked over to the leather bag filled with potions and oils. Grinning she uncapped two of them getting ready for a fun night of stealing.

.

.

"You there!" The dark-haired witch snapped at the man with short, blonde hair.

"Me?" He answered with a question.

"Yes you, you fool! Do you see anyone else next to you?" She asked impatiently.

He looked around then back up at the witch with a sheepish look. "No, I guess not. What is it now?" He sighed.

"There seems to be missing lyrium from my stash?"

"And you would tell me this because..?" He seemed confused.

"Because you're a templar and have gotten it into your air-filled, thick head that I'm going to turn you into a toad anytime soon." She stated. "Now hand it over to me before I make you regret it."

"But I haven't got it. Look!" He said holding up his hands before her, adding. "Besides, where would I possibly keep it?" He gestured towards his heavy amour.

The witch's eyes narrowed. "I could think of a few places, but I suppose I would rather _not _have them back if that would truly be the case..."

Sinniralin hid among the lush shrubbery only a few feet away fiddling the vials of lyrium triumphantly. She smirked a little to herself. Finding the small band of companions had been fairly easy, now with the rogue doing a very good job to confuse her and shake her off their trail. Sneaking into their camp had been child's play. Scrubbing the Sinai herb disguised the neutral body odour making her blend in with the smells of her surroundings enabling her to move freely without fear of being discovered. Not even the large mabari hound had noticed her. This was a nice little trick she had picked up from the Dalish while living and hunting with them.

"You aren't really bickering over some lyrium, when the Ferelden is about to be swarmed by bad breathed little mongrels?" A soft voice with a heavy orlesian accent cut through the dark night as the rogue came into view.

An Orlesian? Who would have thought? Sinniralin was surprised the rogue was Orlesian. The orlesians weren't generally known to have good rogues over there. She peered closer as the well-toned rogue advanced on the two companions sitting by the fire feeling her curiosity peak. There was something strange about her. She didn't possess magical powers still there was something peculiar about her whole being.

"We're not bickering, _she _is." The blonde man said nodding towards the witch who scoffed and threw her hands in the air.

"I give up. I'll sooner have a rational conversation with that filthy fur bag over there."

The rogue chuckled throatily as the female warrior came stalking out from her tent.

"What is this I hear, someone laughing in times of peril?"

Sinniralin froze when she heard the familiar sweet voice. Deanna? Peering over she saw the well familiar blonde, the pinkish lips she used to adore and the toned body that once writhed in pleasure underneath her. She tried to stay focused, but her vision had become blurred a strange and familiar coiling stirred within her. She blinked in confusion as the she heard the rogue say something rounding the campfire standing only inches away from her. The pain struck her like a sledge hammer, racking her body as the sinister darkness fought to break free taking control of her. Something was wrong, why was the rogue having this effect on her? She squeezed her eyes trying not to cry out from the intense pain, sweat breaking out. Something with the rogue drained her of strength and she fell forward.

The rogue caught the sound immediately staring into the thick shrubbery behind her. Sinniralin, weakened by the rogue's presence, could only stare helplessly as the rogue stared straight at her advancing on her hideout.

"There is something out there." The redhead declared with a warning, the companions following close behind her.

_Blasted! _Sinniralin cursed silently trying to uncap the vial of lyrium. Only a few more steps and the group of wardens would be right on top of her and in this state she would be no match for them.

TO BE CONTINUED...

**A/N: **The plot thickens, questions are only answered with more questions. What exactly is it Sin is? And why is Leliana having such strange effect on the seductress? Keep reading to find out. :)

Huge thanks to those of you who have reviewed this story! Sending you lots of fluff and luuurve! ^^

Hope you enjoyed.

Till next time!

~Elmjuniper~


	7. The Guilder

**DISCLAIMER: **BioWare owns everything you recognize, names, objects, places, etc. I'm just borrowing them to show my eternal love for the game and its characters. Sinniralin is mine however. :)

**A.N:**

Hey all! First off I want to thank everyone who has faved, subscribed and review and read. Thank you all so much, it makes writing a whole lot more fun. ^^

Secondly I want to thank you all for your patience. I know I haven't updated for a couple of weeks due to a personal crisis, but I'm back on my feet now.

Reviews are more than welcome – whether it's to say you hate it or love it.

And hopefully next update won't take as long! ;)

Enjoy and till next time!

~Elm

**THE GUILDER**

SINNIRALIN STARED INTO THE DANCING flames licking the firewood as she fiddled her charm, a bad habit she had picked up somewhere along the way. Her mind was still going through the night's event, analyzing every little detail. The game had suddenly changed. She had gone from having the upper hand to swinging with her hands back bound. She chewed her lip. What really had happened to her earlier? And what was Deanna doing with the Grey Wardens? Lately it seemed a lot of things were puzzling and surprising her although this latest instalment must be the one which had surprised her the most. This was not at all according to plan...

She was tired and her body ached with such intensity she thought she might pass out. Steadying her back against a fallen trunk she looked at her hands. They were as milky-white as always, calloused from years of training and working as a rogue in the underworld, but earlier that night they had been grey as the shadowcloak she had been wearing, black blood turning her veins eerily dark, every single vein criss-crossing in black patterns across her hands spreading up towards her arms and neck. It had frightened her where she lay paralyzed by the pain pinning her to the ground. She didn't even have strength enough to lift the vial of lyrium to her mouth, but it lay frozen on the ground in front of her eyes. Tears of pain flooded her eyes and every breath she took seemed to leave her even more breathless and when the rogue leaned over to brush the shrubbery aside her vision had blurred and blackened. The shadowcloak was writhed like angry snakes, sensing their intruder, the magic working fiercely to keep her undetected where she lay pinned helpless to the mossy ground.

Somewhere behind them there was another rustling noise, small feet running across soft grass. The rogue spun around dashing towards the sound closely followed by the others.

"Leliana wait!" Deanna had called out rushing after the swift rogue, grabbing her sword as she went.

Her strength had surged back into her body the same second the rogue had dashed away. Her mind still hazy she downed the vial with lyrium. The shadowcloak imploded with a loud crack drawing all the companions' attention back to her, but she didn't care, she would be long gone by the time they reached the place she was lying at.

She landed with an ungraceful thud on her back in her camp, groaning in discomfort. As she rolled over to her stomach she saw the Harpia come swooping down, landing softly next to her.

"Show off." She muttered as she noticed that the grand bird was wearing her extra pair of boots. She threw her head back clutching her stomach as she burst out with a roaring laughter. So that's what the rustling had been at the wardens' camp. She kept laughing until her cheeks and stomach hurt and she rolled into a ball as tears from laughing streamed down her face. She glanced up at the bird that tilted its head and she burst out in yet another shrieking laughter. It took her several moments to stop laughing and when she eventually sat up again, drying her tears still chuckling a little, the bird wore an indignant look.

"It was _very _smart." She cooed softly as she stroke it underneath its wide chin. "But you must have been quite the sight scurrying about with those boots on."

Sinniralin snorted at the memory where she sat, still thinking it was the most hilarious thing that had happened so far. Her thoughts returned to her dilemma. She was to kill the wardens in order to regain her freedom, but one of the wardens was her former lover. Could she really kill her for the sake of her own freedom? On the other hand, could she give up her daughter for Deanna? She hadn't seen Nimue for months and neither Nimue nor Glub knew she was alive. It was safer that way. She couldn't go back, not with the new bounty on her head. She would lead the inquisitors straight to the Guild's lair. She couldn't do that. But if she killed the wardens her freedom would be granted and she could go back. She gritted her teeth rubbing her temples in frustration. Even if she let the wardens live, she would be forced to keep running. Even if she took out Loghain – which would be a near impossible chore and not worth the risk, she would still have to run. The documents would be void if he was to be found dead, she turning up with them. No one would believe the documents were real. No, that wouldn't do...

Maybe she could kill all the wardens except Deanna, make her come with her or return to her family. She shook her head. Deanna would never allow it. She would never betray her friends like that. _A Grey Warden, huh_? What in all the worlds could have made Deanna join the Grey Wardens? She frowned. What on earth could have made her mother agree to it? The teryna was known to be very protective of her children and it did not seem a thing she would do easily. Sinniralin thought even harder. Could she really, honestly kill Deanna? She may be cold-hearted and a great assassin, but this was different, this was something she had never done before. Surely she had established different kinds of relationships with her victims, but that was _after _she had been given the chore to kill them. Being asked to kill someone after she had held them as a lover was different somehow. Perhaps it was hypocritical of her, were she to be asked to kill one of her guilders out of necessity, she would do it, if they were a threat to the Guild, to her family she would not hesitate, but with Deanna it felt different. She had _loved _her.

Her mind brushed briefly at another idea before she shrugged. Why did Loghain want the wardens dead so badly? What was the true agenda of this chore she had been given? She knew Deanna, she knew the teryn and teryna, they would never agree to let their daughter join some renegade group of bandits. The whole story about them collecting a rebel army did not add up. The teryn would never allow his daughter to betray their king. The Couslands were known for their fairness and nobility. Something was amiss and there was only one way to find out what, but for now she needed rest. This day had been far too long.

.

.

Sometimes at night when no one was awake or around Deanna Cousland would crawl into a small ball in her bedroll and weep helplessly into her soft hands. And sometimes when no one noticed she would glance up into the sky, shifting clouds and blue skies with her eyes so they resembled the loving faces of her parents. But when the rest of the companions watched her she would mask her uncertainty and grief with her uncanny sarcasm and wit.

She stared into the broken bit of a mirror that she managed to salvage during their flight from Highever, one last reminder of her home, a small piece of whatever remained of her heritage. Seeing her reflection she silently wondered who the girl with the dark circles around her eyes was. Who was that girl with those dead eyes? Where had all her happiness and joy gone? She studied the weary and tired face. Was it she or the mirror that was crying? The brown eyes which had been so full of life looked hollow and empty. To think that the matter of a few hours could have robbed her of a whole life was causing her to tremble in frustration. If only she could go back and tell her father not to send his troops ahead, warn him of the danger, or if only she could have reached him faster, but no... She was busy tumbling around the sheets with Lady Landra's girl in waiting. If she hadn't she probably would have been out on one of her night escapades and detected Howe's army before it was too late. Then they could have fled together, but instead the image of her mother cradling her dying father in Nan's larder haunted her memories. She shook her head. This was weak. She should be stronger. Her parents were gone, murdered by that treacherous Howe, but the memories of a better life still resided in her heart. Someone once told her that the memories of a better life were enough to keep her getting up from bed every morning.

Deanna smiled as she thought about the unusually tall, milky-skinned elf. Sin. She was a lively, colourful person she had met during her first and last brush with the underworld. She chuckled at the thought of how mesmerized she had been by that stunning elf circling her predatorily, eyeing her as if she was a prey. Much to her surprise she found she had liked how the elf's eyes travelled the length of her body hungrily. Their romance had started off quite... steamy, and then the elf had just walked out the room as if it had meant nothing! Oh, how enraged she had been! She had fumed over the arrogant elf, huffing and snorting whenever the thought of her wondrous hands and lips came into her thoughts. The next time they had met had been at Arl Belenus estate where her mother had arranged for a meeting with the arl's son and herself. The enigmatic elf was serving as a sentinel at the arl's estate. Deanna had felt her heart skip when the sentinel had turned around and the elf's distinct features stared back at her. The elf had not seemed to recognize her at first, but then she saw a flicker of recognition in the elf's eyes and a seductive smile crept on to her luscious lips. By nightfall Deanna found her back pressed hard against the castle's cold stone walls, legs wrapped around the sentinel's waist, hips bucking passionately as the elf stroke her inner walls with her cunning fingers.

It was hard not to fall for the charismatic elf and Deanna – much like everyone else, had fallen helplessly. Sin on the other hand was not the one to be easily wooed, rather the opposite, so Deanna was much surprised to find out that the elf had fallen just as headlong for her. They had spent that year making love, venturing the undiscovered tunnels running higgledy-piggledy underneath Highever, taking night swims in the estates large pond where anyone was strictly forbidden to set one's foot in. Then came the day when her father announced she was to be betrothed to Arl Belenus' son Garth. She had cried and cursed her father promising never to stop loving Sinniralin.

"But what could I do?" Deanna had asked the elf after agreeing to the union.

Sinniralin had turned cold before whispering silently for her to go, who was Deanna, a noble to run away with a seductress from the underworld, what kind of life could Sinniralin possibly provide for her? Deanna had refused to listen. Refused to give up, saying she would stall the wedding, refuse or even tell them the truth about Sinniralin and herself. Sinniralin had shaken her head when the young teryness wouldn't listen and screamed at her to leave, yelled at her that she was nothing more than a stupid girl, nothing more than physical pleasure, pastime.

Deanna remembered that night as clearly as if it had been yesterday. She thought she would never heal again and she spent the coming months crying herself to sleep. The plan had been for her to wed the arl's soon within two months. She laughed a little defiantly as she remembered how hostile she had been towards the arl's son who, after a month of trying to court her, announced he did not wish to marry such belligerent woman. Much to Deanna's relief her parents had been forced to accept defeat. She had rushed to the battlegrounds expecting to find Sinniralin. Though the elvish seductress was nowhere to be seen, but her giant-like friend had been there. The elf had left the same day Deanna's betrothal had been announced to the citizens of Highever and he didn't know where she had taken to.

She put the mirror aside. Sin had taught her a lot of things during their time together. It was Sin who had taught her to be humble and to understand the elves and their discontent about their situation in the alienages. Sin had taught her how to laugh amidst the most difficult situations. Sin always said having emotions was good, you just shouldn't let them run your life. Sighing slightly she wiped her face and brushed her hair back into a sloppy ponytail before taking a deep breath as she stepped out from the tent to inspect the newest addition to their strange band of misfits.

.

.

The night was a nippy one, the brisk summer wind rustling the trees' leaves melodically and the companions swatted at the annoying mosquitoes buzzing in their ears.

"Ouch! The little sucker got me!" The ash-blonde warden moaned rubbing his neck.

"Well, you weren't the only one." The bard complained scratching her arm.

The warden glared over at the suave antivan assassin, rubbing his neck, secretly enjoying the sight of the assassin scratching a mosquito bite of his own. "I can't believe she let him come with us."

The bard followed his gaze, smiling at the blatant jealousy the warden displayed. "You know, you should at least give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure Deanna has some great plan for what to do with him." She mused, giggling at the warden who screwed up his face at the words 'to do with him'.

"I just don't think he is to be trusted... he tried to _murder _us and just because he fails he gets to come with us?" He argued.

"Don't be such a baby Alistair." Deanna said as she sat down next to him. "Zevran won't try to kill you, and especially not any of the companions with breast, not until he's tried to bed us all at least a hundred times..." She muttered earning herself a giggle from the bard who sat opposite them strumming her lute lazily.

"Well, I still don't trust him, as if we didn't have enough to worry about with that _thing _stalking us." Alistair sulked where he sat.

"It's not a _thing_." The witch scoffed impatiently. "Was it just a thing, it would not have been able to stay hidden from us for so long." She added.

The young warden lifted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I have been thinking. Unlike our slow friend over here..." Her gaze fell on the male warden who glared angrily back at her. "...and whoever is stalking us wants us to know about their presence."

"That's ridiculous, why would they want us to know? Surely we would be ready for them to attack." Alistair protested.

"No, actually... I think she's right." Deanna said remembering something Sin had taught her that year they spent together. "It wants to tire us out, and then attack."

"A Guilder?" The bard whispered seemingly to herself.

"What?" Deanna felt her heart skip at the mention of a Guilder. Many spoke of bards and minstrels, but Guilders were rarely heard of.

"A Guilder." The bard repeated, this time louder so everyone could hear.

"Did I hear the mention of a _Guilder_?" The blonde assassin asked as he walked up to the campfire.

"A Guild rogue is the deadliest, most dangerous assassin in all of Thedas. They do everything from light chores to real chores." The bard explained.

"So Zevran is a Guild rogue?" Alistair asked in confusion.

"No, no." The blonde elf laughed. "I am an a-s-s-a-s-s-i-n."

"'Tis not making any sense." The witch shrugged her head disapprovingly.

"Zevran is just an assassin. And I'm a minstrel, a bard. We're just 'normal' rogues. We do... Light chores. The nobles and such order different chores from us such as, spying or manipulating. The _Guild rogue_ on the other hand..." The bard's voice took on the mysterious tone which she used when telling them stories of great adventures.

"A guilder does so much more. The nobles hire bards and minstrels, it has happened that a king has hired a bard, but guilders, guilders kill_ kings_. They are true con artists, their plotting and scheming is as advanced as an army's battle strategies. Whole kingdoms have fallen at the hands of guilders."

"So rogues are guilders?" the ash-blonde warden scratched his head.

"Argh!" Scoffed the witch. "No, all rogues aren't guilders! It's like wondering if all warriors are Grey Wardens!"

"I could happen..." Alistair muttered under his breath.

Deanna didn't hear much of what else the companions said, her thoughts spinning through her head. If it was a guilder that had been sent to hunt them down and kill them they were in a lot of trouble. Sin had told her about how the guilder would work relentlessly until its target had been disposed of. It would not rest until the chore was done.

It had been three days since they had nearly caught the stalker, or had it just wanted them to think that they nearly caught it? She shook her head and stood up. There was something unnerving about the whole situation. Leliana might have described the guilder well, but she wasn't sure if they had realized the danger they were now in. Not only did they have to worry about darkspawns and the Maker knew what other assassins had been sent their way, now they had a guilder on their tail as well.

"You know, you're going to create yourself a mote if you keep pacing anymore." The bard's soft hand stopped her pacing and she looked in to her steel grey eyes.

"Who's on watch?" She inquired tiredly. Why was she doing this again? Why wasn't she trying to avenge her parent's death? Why wasn't she hunting down Howe like an animal?

"Zevran, Alistair and Sten. We've added a third watch. The stalker feels... closer." The bard said searching the warden's tired eyes. "You should get some rest." She added gently nudging Deanna towards her tent.

Too tired and too weary to object she let herself be led towards her tent giving the bard a slight nod before disappearing into her tent.

.

.

Sinniralin heard the young woman jump startled and nearly yelp at the sight of her cloaked form where she was standing with her back turned towards her. Quickly regaining her senses the warden drew her sword.

"Come now love, surely there is no need for that." Sinniralin said sultry as she turned around to face her former lover. Sinniralin's white hair cascaded across her shoulders as she pulled down her hood grinning at the young warden who stared dumbfounded at her. It was an amusing thing to see. At first she stood like frozen looking as if she'd seen a ghost then she squealed a high-pitched squeal and laughed as she threw arms around the elf. Sinniralin chuckled as she pulled the younger woman into her arms, feeling the familiar scent of whiteflower petals and honey, revelling at the human closeness she had been deprived of lately. It took her a while to notice Deanna had fallen silent, her shoulders shaking violently as she clung onto her shoulders wet tears dampening Sinniralin's neck.

"Hey, hey... what's wrong?" She asked with concern as she stroke the teryness hair gently, soothing her best she could.

"It's Highever." Deanna whispered.

"What of it?" Sinniralin asked feeling an uneasy feeling creep into the pit of her stomach.

"It's gone." The teryness whispered almost inaudibly.

"What do you mean it's _gone_?" Sinniralin demanded fear freezing her blood to ice. Nimue and Glub!

"Howe! He betrayed my father and attacked the castle while all our troops were gone." Deanna shook her head bitterly at the fresh memory in her mind, shutting the images of a burning Highever out.

"Little weasely Howe!" Sinniralin hissed clenching her fists. "What of your family and the rest of Highever, what has become of them?" By the look on her friend's face Sinniralin feared she would not like the answer.

"They're gone. They're all gone. Rendon Howe butchered them all. I... managed to flee, but Highever must be burnt to the ground..."

Sinniralin felt her heart stop. Nimue! Her daughter! She released the teryness and took a step backwards before regaining her senses. Glub would never have let anything happened to them. They would have used the escape route that ran along one of the underground tunnels of Highever. Taking a deep breath exhaling slowly she walked up to the teryn, lifting her face towards her own. "Dee... I'm so very sorry, are you sure Highever was completely destroyed."

The teryness shook her head. "No, but I saw... the smoke..."

"You know things are rarely what they seem." Sinniralin said feeling a tingle of hope rise in her chest. "But what are you doing the Grey Wardens? How did you escape?"

"There was a Grey Warden there... he saved me." The blonde woman said.

"Wait a minute... Howe attacks the arl of Highever when his armies are gone, next we find him by Loghain's side..." Sinniralin had been scheming and plotting in the underworld for far too long and she saw their little web of lies untangle before her.

"Loghain? That treacherous bastard abandoned the king! He got everyone at Ostagar killed." Deanna fumed heatedly.

Sinniralin chuckled and shook her head. "So that's why he wants you dead."

"Of course, what did you... wait." Deanna interrupted herself and took a step away from the elf eyeing her. "You're here to... kill me."

"Why else would someone like me be here?" Sinniralin asked quietly.

"Loghain gave you the chore to kill me and you took it?" The female warden's eyes shone with hurt.

"I didn't know _you _were the Grey Wardens." Sinniralin argued.

"Well now you know, so what is it to be? Kill me or let me live? I know you're the perfect guilder for the job."

"You know if I wanted you dead you wouldn't still be talking to me..." The elf muttered and tossed a small vial towards the warden who caught it in her left hand.

"You have a plan." Deanna stated looking at the vial.

Sinniralin shook her head. "I don't, but I cannot kill you, so I'm just going to join you. Now drink. It's an antidote."

"Antidote?"

"Yes well, I thought if I decided that Loghain's offer was better than yours, at least you wouldn't suffer."

"You _poisoned _me?" Deanna asked furiously before downing the vial's content.

"_And _gave you the antidote mind you, now introduce me to your new playmates."

"You... why... I...!" Lost for words the warden opened and shut her mouth before throwing her hands in the air. "Fine, just... _don't _do it again!"

"You have my word. Rogue's honour." Sinniralin smiled cheekily.

"You have no honour." Deanna huffed before leaving the tent the snickering seductress trailing after he like a little kitten.

.

.

Leliana was the first to notice something strange going on in the warden's tent. Was the warden talking to herself? No, she was sure she heard another voice coming from inside the tent. She rubbed her temples. Her mind was growing foggy feeling as if cobwebs filled her head. Maybe it was something she ate? She was feeling a strange wave of nausea and weariness sweep over her as she saw Deanna stride out from her tent closely followed by... who was that?

"All of you, you better drink this." Deanna said opening her palm. It contained five vials with yellow coloured liquid in it.

Alistair looked up from where he sat. "Who is _that_?"

"I'll explain it all when you all have drunk this." She said sternly.

"What is it?" The antivan asked looking suspicious.

"An antidote, now drink it!" The warden was growing impatient and they all did as they were told.

Leliana studied the elvish woman who stood hovering behind the Deanna like a dark shadow. The elf was unusually tall for an elf and Leliana had no doubt that was she to stand next to her the elf would probably be just an inch taller than herself. As she walked up to the warden she saw the elf edge away from her into the shadows not returning to the warden's side until Leliana had placed herself on the opposite side of the campfire. The elf's eyes were the most peculiar shade of blue she had ever seen. They were blue as the ocean from one angle, but turn your head slightly and the blue was so faint and icy it mixed and mingled with the white in her eyes making them look as milky white as the snow covering the high rising mountains at Dragon's Peak. The elf's eyes locked with hers and for a slight second she felt a slight tingle in her chest. Frowning she put the cap back on the vial.

"Would you mind telling us what is going on?" The bard finally asked, both curious and slightly weary of the new companion.

"This is Sin and she's come to help us fight the blight." Deanna explained gesturing towards the tall elf.

"What do you mean '_she's come_', where did she come from?" Alistair said eyeing her suspiciously.

"You just simply invite whoever wishes to come along on this little adventure?" The witch sniped as she downed the vial's content grimacing at the foul taste.

"_She _is more than welcome to stay, was it up to me to decide." The antivan said studying the elf appreciatively, smiling broadly.

"_Where _did she come from? I never saw her enter camp." Alistair insisted growing alarmed at the elf's sudden appearance.

"It's funny you should mentioned that." Deanna laughed nervously. "Because you see..."

"I snuck in while you were too busy speculating about who the guilder might be." The white-skinned elf spoke.

"So much for being a good watch dog..." The ash-blonde warden muttered towards the big mabari hound who whined, hanging her head in shame.

"There's nothing wrong with Ceridwen's guarding skills." Sinniralin said meeting the man's gaze.

"Wait... how does she know that filthy furbag's name?" Morrigan asked narrowing her eyes.

Before either Sinniralin or Deanna had time to explain the bard gasped loudly, all heads turning as the bard flew to her feet, drawing her daggers. "She's not...! _She _is the guilder stalking us!" The rest of the companions quickly got to their feet, drawing their weapons, Morrigan preparing one of her powerful spells.

"Get away from her!" Alistair snarled to Sinniralin who still stood next to Deanna.

Sinniralin chuckled throatily. "How endearing you all are, but really now, if I wanted you dead you would be so by now."

Deanna took a step forward. "It's true you had all been poisoned. That's what the antidote was for. Now, we need all the help we can get and Sin is here to help."

Morrigan frowned. "Poisoned?"

"Yes well, haven't you noticed how there aren't actually any mosquitoes here? Also I wasn't sure whether to keep you all alive or not. Loghain did make me quite the deal." Sin explained matter-of-factly.

"Ok, no need to tell them that." Deanna mumbled through the corner of her mouth, groaning as her fellow warden's face turned red with anger.

"LOGHAIN! You work for Loghain?" Alistair shouted angrily before turning to Deanna. "And you would actually let her join us? What is this? Some new tradition where you ask everyone who's trying to kill us to join us instead?"

"Well... it's better than to have them still trying to kill us..." Deanna muttered.

"She does have a point." Leliana said, eyeing the elf. There was something peculiar about her she mused to herself. Wondering what it was she decided she would find out later.

The rest of the companions grumbled a little before deciding it was better to drop the subject.

"No. I refuse. I'm not having her jeopardize this whole mission." Alistair said stubbornly.

Deanna turned to him placing her soft hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel about Loghain, but Sin is here to help us. I _know _her. You have to trust me. Please?" She spoke softly to him.

Leliana saw the warden relax under Deanna's touch before taking a step back. "Fine." Then he turned around and stalked off.

Looking over she saw the witch's eyes gleam as she circled the elf.

"There is something about you..." She said with that curious voice she rarely used.

"That is what they always say." The elf answered a sultry smile growing on her lips.

Much do Leliana's surprise the witch seemed to flush slightly before regaining her posture. "Don't get any foolish notions elf." She sniped before disappearing into her tent.

"So you're the one stalking us?" The bard said walking up towards the elf that spun on her heels to face her. The elf's expression puzzled the bard. It looked... terrified.

"Keep away from me orlesian." The elf snarled, baring her teeth at her before she edged away into the shadows until she was nowhere to be seen. Leliana stared after her slightly hurt that she would regard the rest of the companions somewhat politely, and Morrigan even... well, friendly, but she neither looked nor spoke to the bard.

Snorting she crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. The elf would not get away that easily. Something was amiss with her, the ominous feeling the bard had had earlier had grown stronger now that the elf was within their camp and Leliana was going to find out what it was sooner or later.

.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	8. The Newcomer

**A.N: **So, chapter 8 finally up. This chapter can be somewhat... unpleasant to read since it will depict Sin's time in the arl's dungeon. For those of you who find it difficult to read about issues such as abuse, you might want to... brace yourself a little.

I have to do a few shout outs to: everyone who has subscribed, added to faves, added me, reviewed and has had the patience to wait for this update! Thanks so much. ^^

My special shout out goes to Mm-Burnt-Toast-Mm for being my trusty reviewer! It has helped me immensely to keep my spirit up. Thank you!

Also to LatentFI for proofreading both this story and Tread Carefully For Memories Claimed My Soul and for being a great and supportive friend.

Well, I hope you like the chapter!

Enjoy and till next time!

~Elmjuniper

**THE NEWCOMER**

IGNORANCE. IGNORANCE WAS THE one way to shield oneself from the darker side of the underworld and the underworld wasn't always as exciting and exhilarating as it was sometimes described. It could be cruel and raw, and treat any life form with such disdain it was hard to believe that there was room for any humanity and love within the underworld. The underworld was full of snitchers, backstabbers and cheaters, ready to sell their mother for a fistful of coin. Trying to sort out whom to trust was sometimes a near impossible task. Yes, the underworld was a cruel and cold place and the only way to keep it from breaking one down was to use every ounce of ignorance one possessed, and the underworld was full of ignorance. Wherever you looked. In the streets of Highever where guilders would rob a noble man, at the Ruddy Tavern where girls were sold as mistresses in the dingy backrooms to any man who possessed a little coin, in the dark alleyways where a guilder trying to leave and start over was put through the gauntlet, beaten to death by his former comrades, and at the dungeons where slaves, and prisoners were beaten, abused, and raped. Ignorance also served as a comrade to trust, causing the downfall of many rogues. Thinking one could never get caught, or letting your skills get to your head was more than likely to make you sloppy and would eventually get you killed or caught or worst case scenario – both.

Sinniralin had always thought of herself as clever enough to never fall into that trap – she had grown certain of it in fact. That was perhaps why she didn't try to flee when Vaughan and his men had caught her. She knew she had brought it on herself. She had grown sloppy, ignorant of her weaknesses. She had known the minute she set foot in the dim lit, musty room that something was wrong, but there wasn't any time for her to flare her magic before a templar stepped out from the corner of the room, stunning her. Vaughan had circled her, groping himself as he watched her where she stood frozen to the ground like a marble statue. She tried to free herself from the mental chains restraining her, but the templar kept using his powers stripping her of magic. It couldn't have been just him though. One templar would not be enough to strip her of all her powers. Her eyes darted back and forth as she tried to discern how many of Vaughan's men were in that room. She counted five : two mages, one templar and two soldiers.

"Belkin's elven bitch." Vaughan taunted her, holding up the parchment with her chore on. He chuckled, placing his filthy hands on her hips, pressing close to her.

"You know Belkin always fancied himself to be someone special, with all his women, constantly followed by his little elf wench. " He licked her cheek and she cringed wanting nothing more than to break free and unleash the darkness residing within her.

He sneered at her where she stood helplessly frozen to the ground. "Yes, even the nobles have heard of the great con master's fall. He stole more from us than we've been able to regain the past seven years. He even stole my mother's prized jewellery, had her crying for weeks. Not that I care much for that wench, but still, I think it's only fair I return the favour." He laughed his raw, condescending laughter, pressing his groin against her, whispering huskily. "Just imagine the things I'll do to you. It'll make him cringe in his grave." Then someone hit her across the back of her head and the world went black.

Waking up hours later in the wet and cold dungeon she found her hands tied to the wall above her head, her tunic and slacks torn and ripped to shreds, barely covering her body. Above her, water dripped from the dungeon ceiling landing on her head with thunderous splashes that reverberated through her skull. She cowered in shame and disgust as images of Vaughan's face looming over her, contorting as he claimed her as his prize, filled her mind.

She shivered in the cold darkness. Her body ached everywhere and she saw the bruises and bite marks on her breasts and thighs. Closing her eyes she shut the pain away, focusing on her magic, trying to flare it. Nothing happened and even though she knew the wetness and cold in the dungeons prevented her from using her magic, she tried pulling at it over and over again until she screamed out loud, trying to pull herself free from the ropes holding her in place. She heard the raw, distant laughter of the guards outside as her eyes landed on the lifeless corpse of a naked, young elven girl tied up on the opposite wall, her dead eyes staring out at her. She tugged at the ropes in frenzy until they cut into her flesh, drawing blood that slithered and twisted down her pale, cold skin. She cried until she fell into a sleep filled with nightmares, just to be awoken what seemed to be only moments later by the guards who dragged her out to be tortured and defiled. Some guards joined in, others wore a horrified disgusted look upon their face before turning their backs, shielding themselves with their ignorance, shutting her painful cries out.

She lost track of time and soon faces began to blur, some she recognized, some melted into faces from the past, and others simply slipped from her mind the minute they tossed her back into her cell again. Then one day a young man from Highever came to claim his part of this wondrous little treat the arl had stacked away in his dungeon. He was unbuttoning his trousers in the same manner they all did, eager to bury himself within a heated centre. Looking up he stopped when he saw her beaten and swollen face, her head held high in defiance.

"S-sinniralin?" He stammered.

She sneered. Little Tomy Ratchkin who worked as a kitchen servant at Arl Belenus estate before being recruited into the home guard.

"Never did I think I would live to see this day." She said wearily placing herself obediently on the worn out mattress.

The young man faltered. "I-I didn't know..." He swallowed thickly at the sight of her body.

She smiled sadly. It was amazing what a naked body could do to a man – and to some women as well for that matter, the thought of dominating it fully did even more so and Tomy like the rest of them made up a thousand excuses in his head and when that had been done he advanced on her sitting down in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders. She knew this game. In their head they made love to her. She played along with him.

"I have always admired you Sinniralin. And I care for you greatly. I'm not going to hurt you." He said licking his lips as he put his hand on her wrist, guiding her hand towards his hard shaft.

She did what he wanted her to do, drawing satisfied groans from his mouth.

"You are so... so..." He shut his eyes.

She leaned in towards his ears and breathed onto his earlobe, drawing another aroused groan from him before whispering. "_Never _close your eyes near a guilder with a dagger strapped to your waist."

Poor Tomy Ratchkin had no time to react: he didn't even have time to open his eyes before she had drawn his dagger and sliced his throat, had he done so he would have seen the sinister darkness swirling behind her peculiar blue eyes. He made a guttural noise, clutching at his throat, hot blood spraying her face. She chuckled and spat at his corpse before pulling his clothes off, dressing herself quickly.

"This is going to be fun." She said as she felt her skin become dry for the first time in weeks, her magic flaring to life within her once again strong and hungry for retribution. The first guard outside the door went down before he realized what was happening, hitting the cold stone floor with a loud clanking of heavy armour. He was still alive when she bent over him sneering.

"Please, my children..." He gasped.

She laughed wickedly enjoying his fear, feeling it replenish her strength. "Your children, your children." She cooed tauntingly. "Oh, your children will be taken care of have no doubt."

"You witch!" He cried out before she sunk the dagger's sharp blade into his chest, rage surging through her from the pain and anguish, the humiliation and torture she had been put through. She thrust her hand into to the cut burying it within his chest, clasping it around the thumping heat. As she ripped it out his eyes widened in pain, then they flickered and went from green to a paler shade of blue, his scream dying with him. She tossed the thick, blackened heart aside as she stood up, eyeing his pathetic corpse when she saw something blue shimmering from within the thin leather pouch strapped to his waist. Emptying the leather pouch she laughed as four vials of lyrium fell into the palm of her hand.

"This is going to be child's play..." She chimed in an eerie voice as she let the darkness engulf her.

.

.

The soft nudging from the Harpia's beak on her cheek startled her awake from the dream of those weeks she spent in the dungeons, where she sat by the campfire half asleep. She drew her breath, her head jerking upwards as she unsheathed her daggers instinctively.

"Are you alright?" The heavy Orlesian accent reached her ears and her mind swam back fully to reality, recognizing where she was.

"I'm fine I was..."

"Having a nightmare?" The redheaded bard looked at her with a concerned frown.

"I... yes." She answered truthfully, patting the bird absentmindedly. The dreams never left her, they sometimes let her rest for a night or two before they returned, full force, reminding her of what had happened to her. She rubbed her temples in an effort to block them out again. To ignore them. There was no point in dwelling on the past. The bird pressed itself close to her in a protective manner.

"It's ok Little Thug." She cooed soothingly.

"It seemed to be very real for you." Leliana said getting up from where she sat eyeing the strange couple.

"Yes, very much so." Sin replied wearily as she let her eyes follow the bard with her tired gaze.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The bard pressed carefully with her soothing voice offering to lend the elf her ear.

Sin smiled. "You are a true bard, Leliana, was it?"

Leliana blushed at the seductress who so clearly knew this game far better than any other rogue she had come upon, perhaps as well as Marjolaine. "I see I cannot persuade you to talk by just using my bardic ways, so I'm just going to offer you my... friendly support."

Sin studied her for a moment, the strict rules of survival in the underworld still lingered at the back of her head. Trust. No, she couldn't put her trust in this Orlesian bard who caused her such pain whenever she came near. She studied the Orlesian's face, following the jaw line to her cheekbones then to where eyes and eyelids became one, her steel grey eyes gazing back at Sin quizzically. For a slight moment Sin felt a strange tugging in her chest almost as if pulled towards the bard by an invisible force. At first it was faint, then it grew stronger and with it the darkness within her burst to life wanting to erupt and overtake her, reach out for the bard and... _Kill her! _A sharp voice hissed to her. Sinniralin blinked in confusion as she tore her eyes away from the bard who seemed to have picked up on the strange connection, her eyes flickering insecurely.

"It is just... memories from an earlier life." Sin answered evasively still shaken by the cold voice in her head.

"Yes, I see. I think I understand." Leliana answered as she moved over to the small pile of fire wood.

Sinniralin let her gaze follow the strange bard as she leant over to pick up some fire wood, and the small amulet that hung from her neck swung out from the bard's leather amour. Sin squinted her eyes studying it. "Maker forgive your tres..." she read before the bard lifted her head smiling.

"You know the prayer?" She asked mirthfully, happy at the change of subject.

"I, no, I wouldn't say that, I just noticed your amulet." Sin replied.

"This one?" Leliana pulled it off her neck and tossed it towards Sin whose eyes widened in pain and fear as she reeled backwards away from it, flying to her feet.

"I just remembered there was something I had to do, please excuse me." She said spinning on her heels, disappearing into to the woods leaving the much confused bard standing. The big Harpia picked up the amulet and hopped up to her, dropping it on the ground at a safe distance. It glared at her before taking off into the night sky.

"I see you're chasing away our new comrade in arms with your charms." The witch said playfully as she came up towards the bard.

"I wasn't..." Leliana answered in confusion. There was something about the elf, something wicked and sinister. She had felt it when the elf had studied her. For a slight moment it felt as if... no, she had to be wrong. Why would the elf want to hurt her?

"I see you have found a new object of your infatuation." The witch continued to goad the bard who simply answered her with a cold silence. "I don't blame you though, she is most... unusual." Morrigan's eyes gleamed with curiosity.

"There is definitely something... odd about her." Alistair filled in, announcing his presence.

"Even more than what you think about Zevran?" Deanna emerged from the shrubbery holding two hares in her hand, giving them a reprimanding look.

"We... err... didn't mean to." Leliana stuttered a little awkwardly. She still hadn't quite figured out what kind of relationship the warden and the seductress had to each other. She wondered though. Sometimes it seemed as if the elf was avoiding Deanna as much as she was avoiding the bard. She frowned.

"I know you don't trust her yet, but you should give her the benefit of the doubt. She has not hurt any of you no more than what Zevran managed to." Deanna said seriously as she sat down.

"Eh, she _poisoned _us, remember?" Alistair pointed out.

"No, Deanna is right." The bard said shaking her head a little. "No one but the Maker can judge us."

"Is she always this preachy?" Sinniralin said as she stepped out from the shadows holding a wooden bowl in her hand, placing herself next to Deanna.

The bard shot her an indignant look. "I'm not preachy... why... are you always this _rude_?" She retorted stubbornly at the elf who laughed heartily at her.

"Well she _is _a lay sister." Alistair pointed out a little too gleefully.

"Like you should be talking, little templar boy." Leliana raised her eyebrow challengingly at the templar warden who blushed slightly.

"Wow Deanna, you've really picked yourself quite an... interesting group of people."

"Actually the only ones I've picked are Leliana and Zevran - the other ones were kind of a packaged deal." Deanna answered, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Hey!" Alistair protested as the rest of them fell into a friendly laughter before Deanna turned towards the elf.

"I must talk to you." She said looking serious.

"Very well, let's do so." Sin said standing up to follow the warden.

.

.

"How do you suppose they know each other?" Alistair asked as he studied the two women standing by the edge of the camp, too consumed by their private discussion to notice the companions observing them.

"Perhaps from Highever? An old friend?" Leliana suggested as she chewed thoughtfully on her bread.

"Yes, but she's a _Guilder._" He said in a childlike manner.

The bard chuckled. "Yes Alistair that she is indeed. Why does that shock you? The nobles and highborn are the most common patrons." She pointed out studying the newcomer with great interest. How did they know each other? By the looks of it, the small touches, the exchanging of bashful, sly looks, they had exchanged over the past days, they knew each other well. It was a curious thing. Even if a noble paid the guild to have a chore completed, it was rare that they had any bonds between them. And what kind of bond was it that they had? If Sinniralin knew Deanna at Highever, she must know what she was like before she became a grey warden.

Her eyes fell on the blonde warden. She was as lovely looking as she was as a person. Leliana had to admit she had been smitten with the young woman who led this strange group. She had not shown it however, suspecting that the warden would simply not be interested in such dalliance. Deanna had also shown a great interest in the templar boy and so she had decided not to get hurt again. There had been... too much of that. Looking over to the white-skinned elf she huffed.

"_Is she always this preachy?" _

"The audacity." She muttered to herself as she thought about the elf's words, though she found herself smiling at the small banter nonetheless. It wasn't the most usual thing ever that the lovely seductress indulged in a conversation with the bard, so Leliana figured she might as well see it as a small victory. There _was _something about Sinniralin. The elf annoyed her greatly with her evasiveness and nonchalant attitude, and why did she always seem to avoid her? Still at the same time she fascinated her, and the elf's exquisite looks had not gone unnoticed by the bard's meticulous eyes, it had in fact – much to her annoyance - piqued her interest even more.

The elf's wavy, white hair reached down to her waist and during the past days Leliana had noticed how Sin often put it up in various constellations, always framing her face perfectly. Tonight she had not bothered with it, and it washed across her shoulders. She wore a low cut, loose fitting, linen tunic, revealing both her sleek, smooth-looking shoulders, and a lovely cleavage, and the bard was not the only one who had noticed it. The templar had flushed fiercely earlier that day when Morrigan had commented on his staring at the seductress' chest as if he had never seen a pair of breasts before. Leliana had giggled to herself thinking that he was probably blushing more from the fact that he indeed never had, rather than being caught ogling Sin's daring cleavage.

The elf wore a silver chain around her neck with a beautiful charm hanging from it, and the bard found herself wondering quietly what the symbols on it read. The bard's eyes rested on the elf's pointy ears from which two large silver hoops hung. Leliana couldn't imagine how the elf was not frightened that they might be ripped off in battle. She shuddered at the thought. They did however make her look even more stunning, and when the elf smiled her crooked, sultry smile she had no doubt Sin could snare both kings and queens in her web. Leliana had manipulated many of her victims with flattery, her sensuality, and when it called for it even her skills when it came to satisfying her victims before... releasing them from this world, but she had never possessed the alluring, mysterious appearance Sin did. Perhaps it was the way her looks stood out?

She studied Sin for a moment longer wondering what it was with her that felt so dark and ominous. Perhaps it was the ways of the seductress, always alluring and sensual, still dangerous? That still didn't explain why she seemed to avoid her as if she was the blight herself.

Maybe Sinniralin just didn't like the Chantry? It was not uncommon for people who did not believe to be quite condescending towards lay people and followers of the Chantry. She thought about the elf's strange reaction to her medal, maybe she had had an unpleasant experience with the Chantry? The Chantry had after all been responsible for the second fall of Elvhenan. Maybe that was it? Or maybe it was her Orlesian background? She chewed her lip thoughtfully. When she first arrived in Lothering many of the residents had been wary of her, and she ha d even experienced the occasional verbal abuse when people who still had the Orlesian occupation fresh in their mind heard her heavy accent. She had tried to tone it down, but found it made her sound even stranger, so she decided to take whatever reaction she received with as much compassion she could. Besides the Maker had made her this way, no? Who was she to change what he had given her?

Her mind drifted back to the elf and she watched her as she talked to the warden. The elf seemed tense and rigid. Her posture was not as relaxed as it usually was and she gestured – not angrily, but still upset, with her hands. Deanna's face looked angry, or sad, Leliana had not yet spent enough time with the warden to be certain. Their discussion wasn't heated, but it seemed to be... emotional. She knit her brows together. Whatever relationship they had to each other, it seemed they had some things to sort out...

.

.

"Where did you go?" Deanna inquired when they had ventured off to a safe distance from the campfire.

"Well that my dear all depends on what you're referring to." Sin said suavely.

"Don't play games with me Sin." Deanna snapped. "I went looking for you, but you had left. You just _left _Sin, no explanation, no nothing."

The elf turned serious. "What was there to explain Deanna? You made your choice, it was not my duty to stand idly by and watch it."

"But you could have said _something_." The warden insisted feeling the heat of anger build up inside her.

"Said what?" Sin asked in frustration. "That I loved you? That you took my heart and cast it aside like some dockside whore. No Deanna, I do have some dignity. You had already made up your mind. I could only..." Her words got stuck in her throat and she turned her face away.

"_Loved_?" the teryness inquired, looking into the elf's eyes for answers.

Sin shifted before meeting her gaze. Then she simply shook her head and left the warden standing.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	9. The Throne

**DISCLAIMER:** As we all know BioWare owns everything from Dragon Age that you recognize: names, objects, characters, etc. Anything that you don't is a figemtn of my imagination. No copyrights infringements intended, this is only my way of showing my looove for BioWare and the amazing game.

**A.N:** This chapter has actually been ready for two weeks, but I've had a little difficulty getting it proof read, so now I've done my very best and I hope you will forgive me for any grammatical errors and typos.

Thank you to all of you who have read, reviewed, added to favs, added me and subscribed.

Hope you enjoy and till next time (I have actually chapter 10-12 ready, just need a beta for it, anyone feel obliged?)!

~Elmjuniper

**THE THRONE**

_THE OPULENT GRAND HALL BASKED in an impenetrable darkness and the eerie voices from an ancient magic rose like thin, blue-coloured wisps from the small cracks which ran along the soot covered floor. Black skeleton-like chandeliers hung like ominous, dark clouds from the ceiling adding to the hall's foreboding feeling. The air was musty and had dwelled in the cavernous hall along side the magic for centuries, untouched by the hand of man, its sinister presence echoing between the naked walls. The magic which resided in the long forgotten grand hall rose and fell in waves, a constant dull pulsating, slithering like snakes across the floor and tainted the whole hall with its presence. The magic had been left there to grow into something powerful. It was not the simple magic it once was, it had had time to become a thinking entity, a living thing, and now it roamed the locked grand hall biding its time until someone released it._

.

.

The companions were all trying to decide what to think of her. Sinniralin could see it on their faces, how their eyes searched her for whatever sign they needed in order to feel comfortable around her, the probing questions some of them asked her and the gossip they shared around the campfire, all the while keeping the fact that she was a deadly guilder in the back of their minds. They were all suspicious of her and as to what her intentions were. The templar, Alistair, was the one who regarded her with most suspicion. This – she had learnt, was due to Loghain's betrayal at the battle which had taken place at Ostagar. Apparently it had cost someone who stood the templar close his life. Sinniralin couldn't say she blamed him, but still found him a bit too endearing around the others for her taste and she had seen the way he and Deanna interacted with each other. She smirked a little. Had it been a year ago she would have seethed with jealousy, but it wasn't so she simply made a mental note to try and play nicely with him. Then there was the odd bard whom she couldn't make out what she was all about no matter how she tried. It was challengingly and enticing, to meet someone she couldn't read. It had never happened before and she found that she relished in the adrenaline it gave her trying to figure the bard out, trying to nudge her just in the right direction without using her magic. Then there was the fact that the bard had a most strange effect on her. Though was it really the bard or was it the amulet that caused her to fall to her knees in pain?

Sinniralin frowned. Such a simple thing did not use to have that sort of effect on her which could only mean two things: either the bard was so remarkably holy that along with that charm her presence angered the… demonic essence brewing inside of her. Or… it had become more powerful and therefore the battle to keep it latent would become even more difficult than what it already was.

On the contrary to what people believed the Maker did in fact exist, but he was not alone. As legends go there is never good without evil, never peace without battle. The Maker was no exception to this. The follower of the Chant denied that belief in a twin Creator, the maker of old gods that the Tevinters worshipped. Sin snorted. The Chantry was full of fools! She had seen the war raging between the Maker and the Creator. She had been born into it. Thinking back to the day in the tower there was a vague memory she chose to push away, chose not to think of.

_Lesdra held her tight twisting the sharp blade around in her back drawing a painful shriek from her lips. Her eyes swam with tears from the pain as she gasped wildly for air, the poisoned tip of the short sword sticking out from her chest._

"_Embrace your fate Sin." Her sister hissed before thrusting the short sword deeper into her back piercing both Sin and herself._

_Her head spun as she nearly fainted from the pain when she felt the change. As their blood mixed the faint heat that had been her magic exploded inside of her, rippling through her body, penetrating her every muscle and sinew, ripping and tearing at it. Her arms which had hung heavily on her sides flew up to Lesdra's shoulders as the voices began to sing in her head._

"_NO!" She screamed as her sister laughed a frightening, crazed laughter._

"_Good bye sister."_

The words echoed in her head as she turned her attention back to keeping watch. She scanned the area ahead of her, her mind drifting off subconsciously again. She was not just the result of two lover's passionate lovemaking. She shook her head ruefully. She was the prophesized creation of a demon and a demi-god. Lesdra had made that clear that day in the tower, that what she feared the most was true. She was not just an apostate and her mother was not just her mother. Their whole fate was intertwined with the Creator of old gods, the Maker and the ongoing battle between the two sides. Before that day she had been certain that whatever she and her sister was she still had the freedom to choose her own path, but now… she was not so certain anymore. She wasn't so sure she could change the fate Lesdra spoke of. The demonic essence lurking within her had grown stronger and it fought more fiercely to overtake her. It wasn't that the Chantry actually caused her the pain she felt whenever she was near it. It was she herself who caused it by fighting the darkness inside. Would she just let it overtake her and destroy the Chantry it would be pain-free, but she would not let it so instead it clawed, and pulled at her insides, tearing at her, fighting to break free. She growled in frustration. Being the dark Creator personal rogue, was that the sole purpose for her existence? She had not yet discovered what the prophecy told and it unnerved her.

"This is shemshit…" She muttered, silently cursing her mother before feeling a little guilty as she found herself wondering slightly what had happened to her mother, was she still alive? Her mother might have descended completely into madness that day many years ago, but Sinniralin still loved her. The thing she had become was not her mother. Her mother might have been O'leohat to the rest of Thedas, might have been the one who brought the great Andraste to her knees, but to Sin she had been just mamae.

Sighing she smiled tiredly to herself patting Ceridwen gently on the head where she stood hiding in the shadows, her shadowcloak pulled tightly around her, senses alert, as her eyes landed on a small group moving through the darkness right outside their perimeter. She narrowed her eyes observing them. Two large quanari men and six human mages rummaged through the forest. Mercenaries. She let her fingers slip across the cold leather-wrapped hilts of her daggers as she watched their progress. They seemed to be scouting the area for something in particular and she had a sneaky suspicion that the Grey Wardens might be that particular something. She kneeled by the large mabari hound as she pulled out her small vials.

"Off you go." She murmured scratching her behind her large furry ear as she bit off the cap of a blue shimmering vial. The hound whined in response.

"No, no. I'll be fine plus Little Thug will be looking after me." She cooed nudging the dog towards the camp before spinning on her heels.

.

.

_She does not know how she ended up here in this cold place. At first she fumbles around in the dark with her hands trying to understand where she is. Squinting in the dark she can make out the far and of this large room. It was a room wasn't it? As her eyes grew adjusted to the darkness she could see she was crawling on tiled marbled floor covered in soot. Where did the soot come from?_

_Something is moving in this strange place and she cannot seem to understand what it is. She places her ear against the cold floor listening. It swirls, grates against the marble floor in a moaning echo. She should get out of here. There is something dark and sinister in this place and whatever this place is she is not supposed to be here. It frightens her and she starts crawling faster in a desperate attempt to find the door, fear creeping up her spine, slowly pushing her towards the edge of panic. Her hands brush against something on the floor. It's cold and rugged, covered in some sort of fabric which seems to have decayed over the years. Exploring it with her right hand she feels the familiar shape of a human skull and screams._

_Death. Death is what resides here. _

_Death and wickedness._

.

.

Deanna sat silent by the campfire drawing circles in the dirt. _Loved_. Sin had said that she loved her not that she still did. As she let her index finger run across the brown, dried up ground she wondered how that really made her feel. She had thought she was completely over the elven rogue by now, but seeing Sin again made her feel… something. It made her start to think again, to mull over the 'what ifs'. What if she'd just said no to her father's arrangement to begin with? What if she'd gone to see Sin earlier? What if she had done things this way, or maybe that way? What if! She picked up some dried mud from the ground and threw it at her drawn circles in frustration, pouting slightly.

She was being stupid about it, she knew, but she didn't care. Most of all she wanted to clench her fists and stomp her foot demanding that the elf answered the question for her. She however knew it probably wasn't befitting a grey warden.

"I hate this." She muttered before looking up to see the mabari come rushing into the camp. "Come here girl." She motioned with her hands.

Ceridwen whined pacing off towards the edge of the camp before stopping, giving Deanna an anxious look. Deanna knew that look. She had seen it only months ago the same day she lost her family.

"What's wrong?" She asked attentively.

The hound growled taking another step towards the dark forest just to turn around and look at her once again. Deanna heard the sound of wings flapping and saw the giant Harpia take off into the sky, a shrill shriek echoing from its beak.

The group of companions stared at the bird then at the hound, rising to their feet as the warden drew her sword.

"Where's Sin?" She asked suspiciously. She had barely finished the question before there was a loud explosion coming from the dusky forest causing them all to jump in surprise.

.

.

Sin slid between the legs of the huge quanari warrior pushing her magic at him. He spun his big, bulky frame, roaring as the spell hit him, staggering slightly clutching his arm as if stung by something. Sliding to a stop she kicked her legs up in the air using the sheer strength of her back to flip herself into a standing position again. She watched the quanari as he advanced her, the other quanari rushing towards her, the mages firing off their spells at her. She dismissed the spells with a simple wave of her hand. They were nothing more than a nuisance to her and she scoffed as she jumped and flipped, dodging the spells whizzing through the cool night air. Casting a glance at the first quanari she saw the familiar bulge of his dark skin. Spinning on her heels she darted towards the second quanari approaching her.

He struck out with his mace, but she flipped to the side, kicking with her foot at his knees. His heavy armour clanked from the impact, but he merely stopped. She sneered. Never mind, the first quanari was close enough to take the other one with him when… BLAM! She ducked in behind a large boulder covered in moss as the quanari exploded, flesh and blood spraying everywhere. She giggled where she sat as she craned her neck seeing the second quanari's head rip off from his shoulder, slinging high into the air.

"The Spewer!" One of the mages cried out in his heavy Tevinter accent.

Sinniralin felt her blood freeze when she heard it and she snarled angrily getting back on her feet. Rounding the large boulder she found herself face to face with the large spewer, a large monstrous creature, the magical creation of the crazy Tevinters. It was enormous, reminding Sin of a large, overgrown infant with a grown man's dead face. Its belly bilged in an unnatural manner and it made guttural, gurgling noises, black poison dripping from its fat, over-sized lips. It saw her and threw its large head backwards before it opened its mouth spraying poison everywhere. The poison wouldn't kill its target, but blind it for a considerable amount of time. She plunged to the side, rolling on to her feet unsheathing her daggers.

She was hurtling towards the Spewer who wobbled towards her in a twitching manner when the sudden pain shot out at her, paralyzing her and she crumbled to the ground. What was happening to her? Shaking her clogged head she saw the bard standing in front of her, firing her arrows at the Spewer. Leliana? What was she doing here? The elf tried to clear her head when she detected a vague familiar sound. Looking to the bard's right side she saw one of the mages concentrate on a spell, raising his hands high above his head casting the spell. The deadly spell flew soundlessly through the air towards its target. To a mere mortal its speed would have been too fast to discover, but Sin could see the spell streak lazily across the ground.

Willing herself to push the darkness away, fighting it with every ounce of her strength she possessed she flared all the lyrium she had left in her body pushing to her feet. She lunged herself at Leliana pulling the redheaded bard to the ground with her. The spell sizzled as it burnt her across the back of her ear and cheek. Leliana yelped in surprise as they landed on the soft ground – a tangled mess of arms and legs. The pain was unbearable as they lay tightly pressed together. Sinniralin made one last effort to get as far away from the bard as possible, her body screaming in agony. Little Thug came swooping down, grabbing her by the back of her cloak, dragging her away from the bard before taking off again. She rolled to a stop heaving heavily.

The bard was back on her feet pulling one of her deadly arrows from her quiver firing it at the mage. They cut through the air with a sharp sound, slinging themselves into the mage's chest with such force he fell backwards with a surprised yelp escaping his mouth. Leliana turned to Sin who was gesticulating wildly with her arms.

"Just help the others!" She shouted to the bard who nodded resolutely in response averting her sprint to the opposite direction, joining the others in their fight to bring the Spewer down. If only the others hadn't come to aid her she could have taken out this small group of maleficars on her own.

"Watch out!" Someone called out only moments before a spell was fired off at her.

"This is annoying…" She growled using her hand to block it, pulling up a vial containing a silver-coloured liquid with the other.

.

.

The bard saw the guilder down the content of a vial then everything seemed slow down. The bard felt as if time bent in a strange way, almost as if it stretched her mind, clogging it, making her feel drunk. She saw her own movements moving excruciatingly slow whereas the elf bounced from target to target her arms and legs spinning and pushing at the enemy who fell lifeless to the ground. The elf's cloak imploded soundlessly and Sin appeared on the other side of the clearing, speeding right in to the battle from another angle. She leapt into the air and for a spilt second she seemed to hover there before spinning with such speed the bard's eyes barely caught the movement, slashing her blades at the remaining combatants and the Spewer. Their dead bodies crumbled to the ground, lifeless eyes staring at the bard.

Leliana felt a shiver run through her spine. Behind the elf there seemed to be a massive, ominous shadow mimicking her every movement. This dark shadow seemed to turn towards the bard, reaching for her. Terror shot through her body as she took a frightened step backwards. Sinniralin turned around facing her as she grabbed the shadow pulling it towards herself, then before the bard could see what happened time snapped with a popping sound and the small clearing lay silent, the mercenaries' corpses and the huge bulk of the spewer's corpse scattered all around the elf's feet.

"Well _that _was fun." She said winking at the dirt covered faces of the small group flashing her white teeth.

"You're… is she insane?" Alistair asked incredulously, his shield and sword hanging heavily in his hands.

"Do you even have to ask?" Deanna shook her head cocking her eyebrow at him.

The witch circled the elf predatorily. "You're an apostate enchanter!"

"I most certainly am _not_." Sin frowned.

"Then what are you?" The witch insisted before adding. "And don't you dare lie to me."

Leliana shuddered. _What really was the elf standing in front of her_?

"Probably the best you'll ever have should you choose to go down that path." Sin answered cheekily.

Morrigan laughed in amusement or was that a giggle? Leliana frowned. Looking at the elf she seemed to be the charming seductress, no sign of the dark shadow. Sin caught the bard staring at her and tilted her head before turning towards their leader saying something. Had anyone else but the bard seen the shadow? Leliana glanced around at the members who looked as if it was just another battle finished. Looking back at he seductress she thought she saw something dark loom next to her, but it vanished before she had the time to decide if it was real or just her eyes playing tricks on her.

.

.

"What is _that_?" Alistair whispered to the bard, his face screwed up in disgust where he sat by the campfire watching the elf push a big ball of green slimy goo into her mouth using two sticks she found on the ground.

"I... I am not sure..." Leliana answered. Her brows knit together as she tried to think of what it could be. The elf – Sin, had been travelling with them for a couple of days now and still she hadn't said many words to her. Leliana huffed. Sin would talk to everyone, but as soon as she walked up towards the charismatic elf she would excuse herself quickly and walk away.

"It's seaweed." Sin said, smiling when she turned her face towards them, dipping the sticks into her bowl of hot water and seaweed.

"Oh, yes of course..." Alistair said blushing slightly at being overheard by the elf.

Leliana chuckled. "That is... disgusting." Much to her surprise the elf giggled as she chewed her seaweed.

"They do remind me of slugs... but it beats eating children." She winked at the bard who made a gagging noise. "Oh come now, it's not like Orlais is known for its wonderful cooking."

"Yes it is. Orlais has the most wonderful dishes, they are tasteful, spicy and..."

"Hey... don't hate until you've tried it." Sin said, pouting slightly causing the bard to smile despite herself.

"Well, you shouldn't say thing like that without offering." Alistair said grinning as he saw the horrified look upon the bard's face that shook her head 'no' vigorously.

Something wicked and playful shone in the elf's icy-blue eyes. "I'm starting to think you're not as nice as everyone thinks Allycat." She winked at the templar who frowned at the nickname, handing him the bowl. "Pass it over to the lady."

"But I-I..." Leliana tried to slither.

"Oh no my dear lady, there is no speaking ill of my seaweed without trying it." Sin said grinning widely. Alistair grinned from ear to ear as well as the bard took the bowl into her hands staring at it as if it might launch itself at her any given moment.

"Ugh..." She muttered as she grabbed the sticks and fished about for some green goo.

"You really must take a whole ball of it otherwise it won't taste of anything." Sin instructed her.

"But I can't. These sticks are... useless." Leliana muttered as she whisked around the wooden bowl.

"Here, let me show you." Sin walked over to the bard without thinking to grab the bowl when the pain shot through her sending her stumbling backwards. "Ugh!" She grabbed her head and shook it as the pain wore off.

"Are you alright?" Leliana asked standing up.

"Yes, yes." Sin waved her hands dismissively. "I just have a bad case of... migraine. "

Leliana frowned where she stood holding the bowl in her hands. The elf seemed to be doing a lot of jumping, and stumbling whenever she was near her. She tilted her head slightly as she took a step closer to the elf who almost immediately responded by taking another step backwards. _Interesting_. She thought to herself as she looked the elf in the eyes challenging her taking yet another step towards her watching the elf's reaction.

This time the elf stood still watching her intently with her winter's breath coloured eyes. The bard took another daring step towards the elf studying her while doing so. She could tell by Sin's expression that she knew what she was doing. When she was close enough Sin's eyes flickered before she clenched her jaws staring angrily at her.

"What are you playing at Orlesian." She snarled in an angry hiss that almost frightened the bard.

"I... Nothing." She said holding up the bowl to the elf who simply shook her head and spun on her heels before ducking into her tent.

"You do seem to have a remarkable way of making new friends." The templar chuckled jokingly from the other side of the campfire.

"You should see when I make an enemy then." The bard muttered before shoving a ball of sea weed into her mouth with the sticks chewing on it thoughtfully.

"Hey! I thought you didn't know how to..." The templar exclaimed in surprise.

"Let's just suffice to say that I have many skills." The bard answered flatly. Staring at the tent Sin shared with their leader. "And I will find out what you really are."

.

.

_Back paddling away from the dried up, half decayed corpse she feels her back smash against something. What was that? She turns around using her hands to help decide what it is, letting her small hands run across the cold, smooth surface. Squinting her eyes she can barely make out what the thing is in the darkness. The throne is as grand as the hall and as she stands up leaning against the wide armrest its height looms above her like a bad omen. The surface of the armrest has carvings on it, but she cannot decipher them. Was this throne made by dwarven hands? As she lets her hand slip across it something comes to life, swirling angrily. A shriek escapes her dry lips as a cold hand shoots out of nowhere and grabs her wrist, a face coming up close to hers, sinister eyes staring into hers._

"_What goes there?"_

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	10. Escape

**ESCAPE**

WYNNE'S SILVER-GREY EYES WERE HEAVILY lidded where she sat leaning against the tower's stone wall, breathing slowly, Petra and Kinnon fussing over her.

"Stop it, you're going to scare the children." She said as she gently swatted their hands away from her. She cost herself a quick glance over at Keili watching the children. She nodded a resolute, yet soft expression on her face to keep the children from worrying.

"I'm fine Petra. How are the children?"

"They are brave." The younger mage said smiling faintly.

Wynne studied the young woman. She remained strong, but in her eyes she could see the fear Petra felt, especially after the recent attack in the library. Wynne had been scouting the library for any survivors before sealing the gate to their hideout when she had heard Petra's terrified scream. The abomination had been the largest and strongest she had met so far and the battle had been devastating. Furniture and books had flown across the library, crashing into the walls, exploding in the air. One of the chairs had hit Wynne in the back just after casting a deadly spell at the abomination and she crashed into one of the heavy bookshelves which rose to the ceiling like stoic knights. Something had snapped in a most unpleasant manner then her had world blackened and for a few seconds she seized to exists. It was a very strange feeling. It was not like others spoke of when nearly dying, she did not see a splendid light, or hear voices. Nor was it like fainting, it had been final. Her life threads had severed and her life had come to an end. Still… here she sat leaning against the cold wall. Glancing around the great hall she counted the children. All were left and unharmed. She closed her eyes momentarily feeling her strength come back to her.

"Wynne." Kinnon said carefully to get her attention. She looked up at him. "The barrier, we need to erect it again."

She nodded tiredly getting up slowly, feeling her legs shake slightly and her bones ached from the cold air in the tower. She shuddered. It was a clear sign that most likely everyone besides their small group had either died or been transformed into abominations. When the tower was at peace, warmth was brought by the small fires and magic. Without it the tower was damp and miserable.

She blinked wearily as she studied the stone floor walking up towards the arching doorway where the barrier once stood. Closing her eyes she focused on her magic, pulling it from deep within. It rose gently, like it always did. She could feel it like a small flame in her chest, its warmth spreading through her body, infusing her with the pure magic. She smiled. This feeling was familiar to her, like home, like the tower itself. She let the magic flow through the tips of her fingers sealing the doorway shut.

"There. This should keep us safe." She said turning around smiling confidently to the others. As she watched each and every one of their faces she could see that they all looked to her for reassurance. She chuckled her characteristic motherly chuckle. This was the reason she had declined the position as First Enchanter when it had been offered to her. She had no desire to work in the upper ranks, bearing the heavy burden of the tower and all its residents on her shoulder. It was not that she was not ready for the responsibility - she simply believed that helping apprentices learn to control and wield their magic was far more important, not to mention more rewarding.

She walked over to Petra, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. As she caught a glimpse of the heavy metal gates at the far end of the corridor a wave of hoplessness washed through her. In all her years in the tower, walking through those heavy gates she never could have imagined herself being locked up behind them. Left to die or worse become an abomination. It was a frightening thought and being shut up in a tower full of abominations running rampage it seemed more than a likely scenario, but she wouldn't give up without a fight. It was draining to keep the barrier up, but even so, it had to be done.

Wynne had almost reached the far end of the grand hall when she heard something crackle and spit, alarming them of danger. They turned around at the sound, Petra's hands holding a spell, Kinnon and Keili grabbing the children ushering them towards the back of the room their hands too carrying spells ready to use.

The demon seemed to be digging its way up through the floor, its twisted body aflame as if it was a living torch. Its gnarled body twisted and twitched heaving with hissing breaths. Wynne shuddered and felt a chill creep up her spine at the sight of it, quietly wondering whose body the demon had snatched this time. She fired off her spell at it with a graceful flick of her hand. The demon got knocked aside by the spell. Petra's spell whizzed through the cold tower air, freezing the demon to the ground before it exploded into a million tiny pieces.

"Well that was pretty impressive. For a couple of tower mages."

Wynne spun on her heels facing a young woman. The young woman blushed slightly giving a white-haired, tall elf a reprimanding look.

"What?" The elf asked shrugging her shoulders.

The young woman rolled her eyes before looking back at Wynne. She was wearing heavy plate armour, but it didn't bear the templar's crest on its chest as theirs normally did, but Wynne had no doubt in her mind why the young woman was there. Behind her loomed six followers. Returning her eyes to the young woman she found that she recognized her face from somewhere.

"Wynne?" The young woman inquired. Wynne smiled inwardly as she recognized Duncan's newest recruit. She was amazed to see that she had survived Ostagar. The mage had barely made it out alive herself and unlike the new grey warden she hadn't even been at the front lines. Even after the battle it must have been hard for her, and her fellow warden Alistair, the former templar she had also met at Ostagar, to travel through out Ferelden now with Loghain's lies about the grey warden's betrayal.

"Deanna, it is good to see some of the wardens made it out alive from Ostagar." Wynne greeted her politely. "Why have you come here warden?" She added sternly.

"We've come to seek the aid of the circle, but Gregoir…"

"Told you we were in no shape to help you." Wynne finished the warden's sentence grimly.

"Well, that's one way to put it." The female elf said nonchalantly.

Wynne studied her briefly and the dark hair woman next to her. There was something unearthly about the elf, and the woman next to her could be nothing but a witch. Returning her eyes to the female warden who seemed to be their leader she folded her arms.

"They did say you had a bit of a pesk-problem." Deanna said in an effort to ease the tension.

Wynne felt her heart sink. Perhaps it was her poor try to mask her emotions, perhaps it was her weariness that betrayed her, but Deanna strapped her swords to her back.

"Don't worry, the annulment of rights haven't arrived yet."

Wynne shook her head. "So they've sent for it…"

"Be that as it may, I need the mages help to stand against the blight."

Wynne was slightly surprised at the determined, businesslike tone the seemingly young and inexperienced woman's voice had taken.

"Well, there isn't much time we have on our hands then." Wynne stated. "I have erected a barrier to keep the abominations out, only I can remove it." She continued nodding towards the blue shimmering barrier.

"Very well, we will help you clean this mess up." Deanna said glancing about the room. "What about _those_?" She nodded towards the children.

"They will be safe as long as we eliminate all the abominations in our way."

Deanna nodded and threw a glance at the young children and for a fleeting second Wynne thought she could see something sad flicker past in her eyes before it was gone replaced by determination. Looking at Deanna's followers the senior enchanter frowned. They were not all Grey Wardens, so who were these people?

.

.

The Arkon dungeons were legendary. Tales whispered of unholy beings, ripples in the fade, prisoners disappearing, vanishing into the dark night, other losing their sanity from the constant whispering in the sinister darkness of the dungeons. The Arkon dungeons had been built on the island of Estwatch, impossible to infiltrate, impossible to escape. There was only one way to leave – as a corpse. No one had ever escaped the Arkon dungeons, none, but him.

Glub awoke from the yelling outside, quickly coming to his senses. Glub was the kind of man most people looked at and silently wondered to themselves whether he might be some half-breed quanari. He was a tall as one, but bulkier and heavier. A lot of those who saw him thought he was all muscles – big, bulky, and slow. Not many knew that Glub grew up with a father who trained the king's home guard. To Glub battle was like a rhythm, each and every sound sounded to him like a tone or a beat telling him what was going on. That was how he and Sin had pulled so many chores through out the years that no one else would even look at, his battle skills and her powers and tactic sense. Now he had no Son, she was gone, and he had to rely on his own skills – nothing he doubted, but it would have been easier to have her there nonetheless. It always was.

Rolling off the bed he grabbed his long sword as he went, listening to the ongoing battle. Bolting through the guild's lair he prayed silently to the Maker that the fighting hadn't reached the lair yet. Turning at a sharp right angle he burst through the thick wooden door to the young girl's room jolting her awake.

"To the tunnels." He ordered her as she climbed out of her bed looking slightly groggy. He moved with swiftness across the room grabbing clothes and boots tossing them to the young girl. She caught them easily dressing quickly. Glub and Sin had drilled her many times at this only this time he also tossed her the two daggers instead of the wooden ones they used to practice with. She gave him a quizzical look before nodding, strapping them to her waist.

When Nimue had her sixth birthday Glub had woken up from a strange dream of Hallas and the female dales staring into two sets of blue eyes.

"What now?" He had grumbled, hiding his head underneath the soft pillow.

"Glub." Sin whispered, tossing her boot at him when he didn't answer. "Glub, she's found your daggers."

He sat up immediately expecting something to be horrible wrong, but instead the small six year old twirled the daggers in her hands, making it look as if she had never done anything else.

"Ok. Enough." Sin gave her a stern look and the little girl smiled bashfully placing them on the floor. "You know what this means." She said looking at Glub.

"Yeah, that we'll make a hell of a load of gold showing her off in the streets of Highever." He winked causing the little girl to giggle, earning himself a hard slap on his shoulder from Sin.

"Ok, ok. Looks like you my little dare devil are about to become the youngest person ever to go through the home guards drilling. Well, a very… shall we say, cut down version of it." He said feeling slightly proud of the little girl standing in front of him.

Sin ushered her out of the room before turning towards him. "Glub… this is… not good."

"Come her princess." He said to the elf who rolled her eyes at the nickname, patting the side of his bed. "How is this bad?"

"She has seen me. She takes after me, but it's not just that. She only saw me do that once. It's like she learns things… much faster than normal kids." Sin said sounding miserable.

"Are you afraid that…" His voice trailed off.

She nodded silently. "If that's the case they might come for her one day and we need to be prepared."

"Then we start at once." He said determinedly.

They had started Nimue's training that very same day and now it seemed time had come to see how much she had learnt.

"Now let's go." He grabbed her by the hand as they sprinted out into the thin hallway. They both halted for a second as they heard the lair's door shatter, and rustling of soldier's heavy boots thundering down the stony stairs.

They broke into a mad dash for the entrance to the tunnels. This time she ran along side him, her hands balled into small fists. She was fast. Just like Belkin and Sin. He sometimes suspected she might be using magic to enhance her speed. Both Belkin and Sinniralin had been able to wield the magic after all. Bustling through Sin's bedroom door Glub skidded onto his knees ripping the hidden trap door open.

"Find the girl!" The man's dry voice echoed through the lair as Glub barred the door to Sin's room. It wasn't long until they would find them, and they needed all the head start they could get.

.

.

Wynne steered out of the harpy tongued witch's way. Not out of fear, but because she had more important things do deal with than some insolent apostate witch. The tower had been swarmed by abominations. Wynne had expected it to be difficult to clear out the tower, but in all honesty she hadn't expected it to be _this _difficult, not to mention exhausting. It had taken them nearly three hours to clean out the first floor. It was all very surreal and she shook her head. Two weeks ago the tower had been warm and alive, the bustling of mages filling the tower, their laughter and voices echoing through the hallways.

Only a few months ago she had been mentoring the apprentices and now… now she had been forced to slay most of them. It had saddened her heart greatly that so many had chosen to follow Uldred's lead, doing these terrible deeds. It wasn't that she didn't understand their anger, frustration and the feeling of injustice. At times she agreed. As much as the tower was a home it was also a prison and the mages its prisoners. In a way their prison was worse than the dungeons. The dungeons were for those who stole, killed, murdered, raped, or did other crimes or broke the law somehow. The mages however had been imprisoned for something they _were_. As much as she understood why and could see how the Chantry reasoned she sometimes still found herself questioning this way of living. She knew that this fear of every mage turning into an abomination was born from misunderstandings, however she also knew that this fear was a serious and real one at the same time. No matter how good intentions the mage had, his gift would always attract demons and thus the mage risking to be possessed. Therefore at the same time she had days of doubt, she always knew the reason for the Circle and she was happy, and proud to be teaching and mentoring young mages so that they could earn their place in this world, learn how to wield the magic.

Climbing the stone stairway the white-haired elf climbed past her. The senior enchanter shivered when the elf's arm brushed against her own- she felt as if something reached out for her, pulled at her magic, then the feeling disappeared.

"Something's amiss here." The warden's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Sin." Deanna turned towards the white-haired elf that walked up to their leader.

Sin placed her palms on the cold floor. Instantly a web of thin, blue lines shot out from the elf's fingertips. The line twisted and turned, tracing the stone walls and floor in a fine unbroken web. The small company followed the lines with their eyes until they fell on a big, black space where the web's lines did not connect. The web changed colour from blue to red and more holes appeared in the web at several different places. Wynne was fascinated, and stood looking at the scene in front of her in awe. The elf used Druid Fire! Wynne could hardly believe her eyes. She had only ever heard about it, but never seen anyone use it, not even the first enchanter Irving could wield such powerful magic.

Druid Fire could map landscapes, places, detect animals, people, even tell races apart from each other. Depending on the mage's skill he could use different variations of the spell and the elf – it seemed, could use quite a few.

"Little abominations." She heard the elf mutter as she studied the red web in front of her.

"So this… show us all the abominations in the tower?" The bard spoke from behind them.

"Mm…" The elf nodded before the web faded from red to a soft shade of purple. This time the elf lifted her left hand from the floor and the blue web trickled out from the top of her fingers and fell to the floor in twisting motions. It ran alongside the purple. The black spaces in the purple web appeared a little here and there, not as frequently as when the elf had been looking for abominations and where the big, black space in the blue web appeared so did it in the purple. The elf seemed to frown before she stood up and brushed off her knees. The Druid Fire evaporated instantly into the cold air.

"There are a few demons on this level, nothing much to worry about, however…" The elf's voice trailed off.

"What?" The templar asked suspiciously squinting his eyes.

"There is something more. Something much more dangerous, I just can't decide what it is. A demon and a warp of some sort."

"A rip in the Fade?" Wynne asked feeling a chill creep up her spine. If there was indeed a rip in the Fade, things were far worse than she had expected. No wonder the tower had been overrun so easily.

"Yes, I suppose that what you mages would call it… However this entity… is tied to it somehow, connected. Over there." She nodded towards the dark corridor, her face looking stern and grim.

Deanna sighed, unsheathing her sword, hooking the shield off her back. "Well, you know what to do. Take out the spellcaster first."

They all nodded before following their leader into the dark hallway, looming behind her as she and Alistair pushed the heavy, wooden door open.

The last thing Wynne remembered was muttering for them all to resist, then they all dropped to the floor one bye one. The templar was the first to drop then the big quanari fell to the ground, closely followed by the others. There was only one left standing when the enchantress succumbed. The white-haired elf and as her eyes closes the elf is still standing, sneering as she draws her daggers.

.

.

Survival. It was the most important skill Glub had learnt from his father, and it was much needed in the underworld. Glub had many techniques to survive and through out the years he had learnt that even the sacrifice of your friend's life for your own was just one way to avoid the inevitable. Death. His own survival had always been his main concern. It had been for so long, and he had survived no doubt, his reputation exceeding him by far although in his defence he had worked quite hard for the many terrifying rumours of him to spread so wildly across Ferelden.

Then Sinniralin came stumbling back into his life with a young daughter – the apple of his eye – and suddenly the rules of surviving had changed. It was no longer him, who must survive, but Sin and her daughter. He must only survive until he knew they would be safe, or he would die trying. No matter how you looked upon it the answer was always the same. They must be kept safe. They must survive. Glub knew this where he say by the trapdoor, peering into the dark tunnels. The door shattered behind him as the soldiers came storming into the small room.

"Run Nimue!" He shouted into the tunnel before he felt the soldier's blade pierce him. Crumbling to a heap his eyes swam with tears as his vision blurred and faded and he blinked in confusion as the tunnel filled with heavy armoured soldiers. There was no pain and the only sound to be heard was his own slowing heartbeat echoing along with another one thumping faster and more intent. _Run_. He urged her silently before turning his head to the side facing his killer.

"Y-you!"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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**A.N: **Hey everyone, guess who's had a long vacation. Me! But alas it is over, however that means back to writing. ;) Hope you've all had a great summer and are up for an awesome epic adventure with Sin.

Thanks to every single one of you who have subscribed, added to favourites, reviewed and read. You all make my day!

Hope you enjoy this chapter.

~Elmjuniper


	11. Fight The Demons

**FIGHT THE DEMONS**

WHEN PEOPLE TRAVELLED TO THE Fade it was with their spirit form. For Sin it was not like that. She did not leave her body in the waking world. Cut her and her body would bleed. Kill her and her body would remain in the Fade, to the living world she would have simply vanished. The Fade was like a blurry distant echo to most people who travelled it, but for Sinniralin and the demons it was all crystal clear. Sin sometimes felt sorry for those who travelled and never saw the blood-red skies which faded into a blue-pink, beautiful sky. It would be like being in the presence of your lover never close enough to touch. A lot of the things about the Fade were beautiful and as she sat perched on a tall statue she thought that under different circumstances this would have been quite enjoyable however seeing all the companions scattered across the Fade she sighed. It was going to be a _long_ day.

"Out of my way." Sin shoved the bearded man aside. He frowned angrily at her as the blonde warden stared in confusion at them.

"You've had your fun demon, now be gone."

"But the child is content here. With the Grey Wardens, now that the blight is over."

"Ugh. Just leave us be." She snarled irritably.

The demon's eyes gleamed. "No. She's ours."

"Fine, have it your way." Sin huffed before jabbing a dagger through the bearded man's chin, piercing his skull.

"You ok?" She asked turning towards Deanna who looked as is she had just woken up.

"Yes… but…" Deanna shut her eyes rubbing her temples as she groaned. "Where are we?" This place was all new to her. It was so… different and she felt like her head was filled with cotton.

"The Fade and we better get you guys out of here. You shouldn't be here for too long." Sin said stalking over to the strange looking pedestal.

Travelling the Fade was a simple task for any demon, and especially for Sin. She could go anywhere she wished with a mere thought, for mortals however it was different. The Fade was like a maze and the mortals had to follow the paths laid before them. These paths were full of dangers and traps, but were the ones one had to follow nonetheless. With the rest of the companion's scattered out all across the Fade Sin could only draw one conclusion as to what had happened to them. The Sloth Demon, a tricky demon who would use his victims' dreams to fool them into staying in the Fade. Sometimes of things the Sloth Demon could sense the mortal longed for, other times he used fragments of dreams, hopes, wishes, or memories.

As soon as they had stepped into the large ward in the tower Sin had felt its presence taint the whole room. It had been easy to tell from the reeking smell of decay and rot still she hadn't been able to stop the others from entering the room and before she knew it the members of their small group slumped on to the cold stone floor.

"What is that?" Deanna asked as she walked up to Sin looking weary.

"This is your way out of this place, sort of, but we need to make a few stops on the way I'm afraid."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we have to pick up the rest of us. Now stop asking questions and come here." Sin said motioning for the warden to stand next to the pedestal.

"So what do we do now?"

"You use the portals to travel, just touch it and meet me on the other end."

Turning her head towards the pedestal Deanna looked at it suspiciously before placing her hand on it. There was a soft sound reminding Sin of pooling water then the teryness vanished into thin air. Sin smiled before following closely. Perhaps this would be easier than what she thought.

.

.

"This was fun!" Sin shouted with glee as she ran along side the large golem thundering down the narrow hallways. Every now and then she would wallrun and flip onto Deanna's stony shoulder before leaping into the air, the shadowcloak imploding, and appear several steps ahead of the giant golem.

"We should have done _this _back in the days." Deanna joked in her heavily distorted voice.

Sin laughed. "I must say this form actually suits you."

"Oh, shut up Sin." Deanna growled before bursting out in rumbling loud laugh.

All forms had been collected and there was only one thing left to do.

Find the others.

.

.

Unlike the rest of the companions Leliana truly had not recognized Deanna when she first showed up. Sin found it strange, all the others had done so after a while, but the bard remained certain of that she did not know this woman. Then the strangest thing had happened. When Sin approached them the bard looked up and saw her, eyes locking with her own, she felt a strange feeling ensue her. It drew her towards the bard.

"I do not know this person." The Leliana said stubbornly though her eyes flickered at the sight of Sin.

"Stop being a blasted fool Leliana, and snap out of it. Does this really look like a good time for prayers?" Sin sniped at her watching the recognition fill the bard's eyes before she nodded, chewing her bottom lip.

"Who is this?" The demon disguised as the revered mother asked in irritation.

"It's my wife." Leliana said looking at Sin with the same expression lovers throughout history had worn when gazing lovingly at each other.

Sin felt her jaw drop, as she fumbled for words. "I… I…uh ok…"

Deanna's head snapped towards her hurt blazing from her eyes before she turned towards the bard. "We must go." She said coldly.

Leliana stuck her hand into Sin's as if it was the most natural thing, holding it gently before the demon shrieked, then charged itself at the bard. Sin and Deanna reacted simultaneously lashing out with their weapons.

"So predictable." Sin muttered.

"And it's starting to get really annoying." Deanna filled in looking weary in.

"Are we going yet?" Leliana inquired before starting to fade. "Wait, what's happening to me?"

.

.

Sin fiddled her charm where she sat by her own next to the campfire in the quiet night. It wasn't so strange that the sloth demon had played tricks on Leliana's mind. What was ridiculous was Sin's reaction to it. She hardly knew this Orlesian bard, yet… there was something about her that seemed to feel familiar and safe.

Staring at the bard's tent she silently pondered the strange connection between them. At the same time as her presence stirred something dangerous inside of her, it also felt like they… belonged. Sin snorted. That was ridiculous! Leliana made her scream in agony, there was nothing remotely safe or warm about that, but then in the Fade, when Leliana had put her hand in Sin's…

The elf sighed, remembering the feel of the bard's soft hand in hers. It was an illusion. The bard had only been there in mere spirit, that's why it hadn't hurt. They didn't belong in any way, yet she was mulling over the possibilities and the strange sensations she'd felt when the bard had placed her hand in hers. Looking at her hand she could still feel the softness, the warmth from Leliana's hand pressing it gently. She screwed her face up and sighed, this was all the sloth demons fault, best thing do to was not to think of it so she turned her thoughts to much more productive things such as to what she should do about her torn cloak. _I wonder what she looks like… NO! Firewood we need firewood…_

.

.

Leliana rolled over in her bedroll waking from her reoccurring nightmare. She groaned as she tried to find a comfortable position. There had been too many dreams lately, or visions. Whatever one called them, they were unpleasant, mixed with past and present, and sometimes – the bard believed– the future. Now they mixed and mingled with the horrible experience they had all had in the circle of magi. Every one of them save Sinniralin had fallen asleep, trapped by the Sloth demon in whichever illusion it had created for them. She opened her eyes slowly, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she remembered what had happened in the Fade. It had been so stupid, so silly, an illusion about the Chantry. Was that really all she wanted? Was the Chantry the one thing to make her feel safe and content, if so then what was she doing out here on the road with Sinniralin – no, the Grey Wardens! Journeying, trying to stop the blight made her feel closer to the Maker than just staying in the Chantry and she knew it. She knew she only tried to fool herself when thinking the Chantry invoked her with a sense of peace. Perhaps once, in what felt like another lifetime it did, but when she searched herself for answers… she knew that she was lying to herself. The Chantry enabled her to hide from… her past.

She thought back to how Deanna had found her in the Fade and how she hadn't recognized her, how she told the warden, she did not know who she was. Then Sin had appeared and she felt a strange sensation tug in her chest and stomach. The elf had been outrageously rude to her and as much as she wanted to turn away from the elf using such appalling language she found herself feeling safe near the elf. She knew she knew this person, belonged with her. Images flashed before her mind, just like her visions did and she saw how they belonged together. Remembered their life together and before she could stop herself she uttered the words; "She's my wife."

Gritting her teeth in embarrassment as she rolled onto her back and covered her face with her pillow she felt the same strong sensation run through her body. She couldn't explain it, for once the bard found herself short of words still… there it was, intense, and overwhelming, completely undeniable. How could she feel like that? How could she belong to someone she hardly even knew and in what sense did they belong? She rolled over again. No matter how she argued or questioned it – the feeling still remained, and the little voice telling her it was right kept gnawing at her. She sighed, opening her eyes slowly. She sucked in air into her lungs, holding it untill her chest burned then exhaled again before deciding she was past going to sleep and rolled out of her bedrolls.

.

.

The elf was sitting by herself, looking at the fire while fingering the silver charm absentmindedly. Little Thug, the intimidating Harpia sat next to her, his beady darting back and forth. Sin was wearing just a thin linen shift barely covering her well-toned thighs, and leather boots. She looked tired. Leliana supposed the elf must have exerted herself helping them all out of the Fade, and then there had been the battle with Uldred. It had been gruesome and… Her eyes fell on the elf. Leliana swallowed thickly remembering the horrifying battle against Uldred. It wasn't that they had underestimated him, they just hadn't expected the monstrosity he had transformed into. Deanna had none of her four forms left to help them but had used Niall's litany on Wynne's command.

The fight had been a mess of abominations swarming them from every flank, and the remaining mages from the Circle being used as pawns by Uldred to attack them. Leliana had found herself dodging and defending more than attacking. She was by no means any better than Wynne or Morrigan, but they had less armour to defend themselves against the oncoming attackers and Leliana found herself darting between the two of them to keep them out of the line of fire as they assaulted Uldred with their powerful spells.

The suave Antivan was the first one to fall, his otherwise so appreciative eyes staring blankly up at her. It was a sickening feeling to see him lying lifeless, so discarded until Wynne had forced him back to life with one of her spells. Alistair was in the heat of the battle along with Deanna and Sten, slashing at Uldred's legs, slamming his shield at the gnarled legs in an effort to force him away from their healer and spellcaster. It was something they had all learned along the journey through the tower, keep the spellcasters alive and they'll keep you alive. Sin had been everywhere, bouncing from one abomination to another when one of Uldred's gnarled arms caught Deanna in the chest hurling her across the room. She crashed into the wall and slumped onto the floor, heavy silverite armour clanging loudly.

"Stop pussyfooting Allycat!" Sinniralin shouted angrily as she pulled the unconscious warden aside grabbing the litany before dashing towards Uldred.

"Sten!" She shouted and the big quanari turned around, kneeling as if her could read her thoughts, clasped his hands together and held them out for her like a springboard. Sin stepped hard on his hands and he pushed her up with all his might sending her spinning through the air.

Sten was back on his feet charging at the abominations once again, his huge frame ploughing through the swarming enemies. Sin landed gracefully on the monster's twisted and spiky shoulder and sprinted towards its head. Leliana could see the elf's daggers flash before Sin rammed the blades into Uldred's neck wedging them stuck before leaping off, landing in a crouch. Leliana wasn't sure what had happened after that. She had run up to Sin to give the elf her spare daggers and as she put her hand on Sin's shoulder a feeling of pain shoot through her arm. It was an intense pain, as if one of Morrigan's spells had hit her full force, then the pain subsided and was replaced by a stinging feeling. The elf spun around looking at her in terror, black veins criss-crossing her face. Neither one had time to react to the sharp, twig-like arm that came swooping towards them.

"Watch out!" The mage had cried out, but the otherwise so fast elf stood like frozen, looking as if she was to fall to the floor. Leliana had tried to remove her hand, but found she couldn't, and then Uldred's massive limb hit the elf full force. Sin was thrown towards her taking the bard with her in the intense blow. The collision was ear shattering and she felt herself fly across the room, Sin's body pressed tight against hers, the elf's strong arms wrapped protectively around her. They slammed into one of the chambers round stone pillars, Sin's body softening their fall. The elf cried out as they tumbled to the floor then everything went black.

She woke from Uldred's fall shaking the whole chamber. She was lying on her stomach and as she turned her head sideways she saw the companions standing in a circle around his corpse, breathing heavily, staring at the monstrous thing which lay dead on the floor in front of them. Deanna was back on her feet resting against Alistair's shoulder, Sin's arms were still holding her protectively, though limply, and she forced herself to turn around.

"Sin?" She shook the elf lightly. Sin groaned as she lifted her hands to her head rubbing it. "Sin, are you alright?" The bard inquired as she saw the black veins covering the whole of Sin's face and hands. The elf must have been poisoned by Uldred's spikes.

"Just go away…" The elf moaned.

"W-what?"

The elf shook violently, trying to crawl away from her. "Please…" She whispered weakly.

"Let me help you Sin, you've been poisoned!" She exclaimed reaching for the elf when something happened. The elf's arms shot towards her shoving her away with such force she slid across the floor.

"Stay away from her Sàbhailiche!" Sin hissed in an unnatural, horrifying voice, her eyes pitch-black, mouth full of sharp fangs. Leliana stared at her trying to understand what was going on. Sin seemed to shake her head and when she looked back at the bard it was with the peculiar, blue eyes again. She blinked in confusion as she tried to stand up, but fell to her knees again.

"Dear child!" Wynne had called out when she saw the elf struggling, her side covered in dark blood. "Sit down at once." She demanded the elf that obliged without much protest.

"I'm fine." She muttered.

"Nonsense." Wynne replied as she parted the tassels of Sin's cloak.

Uldred's arm had shredded the elf's left side to an inferno of flesh and clothes. Dark and thick blood poured from the wound. Sin was growing paler and her skin clammy and sweaty as she grimaced. The bard stared in shock at the badly torn side, the elf's flesh left hanging from Uldred's deadly blow. No one could possibly survive such a wound! Leliana realized where she stood, still shaken by their short flight. Wynne frowned as she mended the worst with her magic, applying salve on the newly stitched wound.

"By Andraste's ashes, you should not have survived this." She stated as she looked at the swollen wound.

"I shouldn't have survived a lot of things, now hand me your goodies." Sin said looking fatigued.

"My what?"

"Lyrium. I know you have it. Now give it to me or I shall simply take it."

"A simple 'please' would have sufficed." Wynne scoffed as she handed her a large vial of Lyrium.

"Thank you Wynne." Sin said genuinely as she seemed to calm.

.

.

Leliana approached the elf slowly. "Hey you…" She cooed softly, earning herself a tired smile from the elf.

"Well, hello…"

"So… how are you feeling?" Leliana asked as she placed herself opposite Sin, studying her face apprehensively.

"I'm fine. I… am sorry."

"What for?"

"Earlier today, I…" Sin trailed off.

"It's ok, you weren't yourself, and you'd been poisoned."

"Like you have no idea." Sin chuckled.

"Wynne said no one should have survived your wounds…" Leliana said as casually as she could peeling the bark off a twig she found lying nearby.

"It's all the children I've been eating." Sin winked at the bard who smiled despite herself, shaking her head.

""Are you always such a charmer when you don't want to answer a question?"

"So you think I'm charming, do you now?"

"You're changing the subject."

"I am. You're a clever one you are."

"And now you're making fun of me."

"I would _never_."

"I will figure you out one day." Leliana persisted.

"I am looking much forward to it, but until then tell me about yourself."

"Why?" Leliana scowled. "You don't tell me anything."

"Don't be coy now. They call you a sister, but I've been watching you. You're not just some innocent sister."

"What makes you say that?" The thought of the elf watching her made her feel slightly uncomfortable, it reminded her of what Marjolaine used to tell her. _I can see you my bard, I'm always watching_.

"Someone like you just isn't."

"_Someone _like me?" Leliana found herself chuckling at the elf's remark.

"Ah Leliana, I know that walk of yours, sensual enough for one to want more, but not seductive enough to make you cheap." Sin's eyes lingered slightly at the bard before trailing off lazily.

"It seems you have figured me all out." Leliana said smiling slyly.

"I don't think I have. See, what I want to know is what you were doing hiding in a Chantry."

"I wasn't hiding! I stayed with the Chantry because I sought refuge from the outside world, and to contemplate life and the Chant. _Not _that it's any of your concern." She answered defensively.

"Touchy subject. You are quite the feisty type. I like a girl like you."

Leliana flushed at the compliment, as her come back failed her miserably. Sin caught onto it and fired of a coy smile before returning her attention to the campfire.

"I think I would have liked to meet you before you became a lay sister."

Leliana smiled a sad mood settling as she thought of her time in Orlais, working as a bard alongside Tug and Sketch under Marjolaine's command. She remembered that night, when Marjolaine had used her as her pawn, betrayed her and she felt herself shrug involuntary in an attempt to shake off the memories.

"Did I say something wrong?" Sin's voice brought her back to reality, winter's breath blue eyes searching hers. "I… Sometimes forget to filter what I say."

The bard smiled – this time snickering. Sin was so very peculiar and mysterious, self-confident, and strong, yet suddenly she displayed a timid and endearing side the bard hadn't expected her to have.

"No, no you didn't. I just think... the old me is…"

"Still in there, just a little wounded and hurt."

The bard tilted her head. Was she really that easy to read? Or was it Sin who was a very attentive person? Marjolaine had always seemed to be able to read her just like that, finding someone else who could was slightly disturbing. It unnerved Leliana to think that perhaps another could read her that well and use her again for their personal gain.

"Yes, I think that's how I could best describe it." She replied honestly.

Sin dug into the pouch tied to her waist and pulled out pieces of dried meat, flicking one into her mouth before tossing a bit to the bard. "So tell me then."

"Tell you _what_?" She asked taking a bit off the dried meat, chewing it slowly, savouring the salty taste.

"Well, why are you here? You're not a Grey Warden, are you?"

"No, I'm not." Leliana squirmed uncomfortably. She didn't know if she should tell Sin. She might think she was crazy… the others looked at her that way when they spoke of her, she didn't care, she let them talk and look, but for some strange reason she couldn't bare the thought of Sin looking at her like that.

"The maker sent me, I had a vision…" she said bracing herself, expecting Sin to laugh at her. Her sensual laughter, but laugh at her nonetheless, so she was more than surprised to see Sin's eyes widen in surprise and recognition. Something in her eyes could be mirroring the bard's own eyes.

"The Maker sent you?" She asked genuinely.

"Yes… I had a vision."

"And how did this vision appear? Like a dream or images?"

Leliana narrowed her eyes. Sin seemed to genuinely believe her and it puzzled her. "They come to me in dreams, but… you believe me then?" She asked curiously.

"yes, why wouldn't I?" Sin knit her brows together in confusion.

"Well… most people think I'm crazy…"

"You're not. Well, not when it comes to this at least, the other things you do I really can't explain." A sly wink was fired off her way causing the bard to laugh.

"So you believe in the Maker? You really believe he exists…" Leliana said in amazement.

"I don't think he exists. I _know _so, and we have a score to settle." Sin said the darkness that followed her settling once again and the bard felt a chill creep down her spine.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

**A.N: **Wow, have I been out for a while? ;) I'm very sorry for the delay in updating the story, but IRL has demanded my attention lately. Hopefully I'll be able to post mor regularly from now on.

Big thank you to all of you who are still hanging in there, reading this story, and reviewing it. And a thank you to all of you who has subscribed, faved as well!

Ok, so some of the reviewers are not members here which means I can't reply through e-mail so here goes:

izzy thank you, it always makes me happy to get a review. not only does it help me write, but it also makes my day! :D x

little shadow girl thank you so much for your review. i'm very happy you like the story and i hope you keep liking it! :) as you know, your review made my day. :D x

Ok, till next time everyone.

Enjoy!

~Elm


	12. Past Imperfect

**AN. **I'm so sorry for taking so long with the update! I'm currently working on this one, a ME2 fanfic and the old Tread Carefully. I hope you enjoy this update though. :)

It looks like Leliana is starting to realize that Sin is going to be important in her life... This chapter depicts Leliana's past, and the demons she carries with her.

A big thanks to everyone of you who has reviewed, read, faved, subscribed... and more!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 3

~Elmjuniper

* * *

**PAST IMPERFECT**

"MY PRETTY LITTLE THING." Marjolaine's voice is hoarse with desire as she lowers her mouth onto the bard's wet mound, aching for the feel of her lover's lips and tongue on it. The bard squirms impatiently, clasping at the thick, dark hair. Marjolaine laughs at her eagerness before taking her into her mouth, letting her slick fingers slide inside bard who gasps in pleasure.

"I love you." Leliana stated, affectionately as she pulled a string of hair from the master manipulator's face. Marjolaine chuckled as she let her index finger trace circles on the bard's naked skin imprinting an invisible signature across her stomach causing the bard to giggle.

"_My _Leliana." The raven-haired beauty purred in her heavy Orlesian accent before rolling over. "We have much to do tonight. Do you think you are up for it?"

The bard had snorted. "It's me Marjolaine. You know I'm up to anything."

**.**

**.**

The pain. It was unbearable! The bard twisted to the side, gasping for air before falling to her knees, her thoughts jumbled from the pain and confusion. Everything had gone so well, they had managed to sneak back in to commander Raleigh's office and planted the documents in his desk. The documents which included detailed descriptions of Orlais' composition, documents of treason signed by Marjolaine. The bard was up to most things, but treason? She had pleaded with Marjolaine to get rid of them some how, and her mentor had agreed to plant them in the desk, so what had happened? Where had the guards appeared from? What was the excruciating pain in her side? Falling to her knees she felt Marjolaine shift behind her.

"Commander, this is the spy." She heard her mentor's voice call out.

"What?" Pain was taking over, disorienting her. "Marjolaine?"

The master manipulator retreated away from her as the commander and his men came walking up to them.

"_This_ is the spy?" He frowned as his men pulled her to her feet.

"No, this is a mistake, tell them Marjolaine." She pleaded with her mentor. Why was she not vouching for her?

The commander walked up to her and grabbed a fistful of her long, red hair. She cried out in pain.

"Do you know what they do to spies in Orlais? You thought you were going to sell this information to Ferelden, did you? Well, you were wrong!" Tiny specks of saliva landed on her face as Raleigh screamed down her face, yanking her hair hard.

Tears sprung from her eyes as she saw Marjolaine walk up to stand behind the commander. "You'll see what happens to traitors." He said coldly before yanking the knife from her side. She screamed in pain, her vision blurring. Breathing heavily she tried to stay conscious. She could not let them take her! This must all be a mistake, Marjolaine knew this, she… Her eyes fell on the bloodied knife in the commander's hand. It was a fine elven made blade, the hilt wrapped in the finest Antivan leather.. It was a fine specimen. She knew all of this for it was the dagger she had given Marjolaine for her birthday.

"No! No, no, no!" She whimpered, shaking her head in disbelief as her mentor stared indifferently at her.

"Take her away. I want her brought back to Orlais." Raleigh ordered his men.

She had tried kicking, but her side ached far too much and her kicks resembled nothing more than a slight twitch. She tried screaming but one of the guards stuffed his glove into her mouth. Then someone pulled a bag over her head, the cold smile on Marjolaine's face the last thing burned into her mind. She was dragged along, shoved forward until she stumbled, then pulled onto her feet again just to be pushed again, her mind frenzied with fear and terror, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't breathe! She couldn't see!

.

.

Leliana's eyes fell on the lute next to her where she sat outside the tent which Alistair so kindly had lent her. Had it really been two years since that fateful night in Denerim? She sighed, closing her eyes. Two years. Sometimes it felt as if she had aged fifty years since Marjolaine's betrayal, other times it felt as if it was only moments ago and the anger and hurt flared up again.

Raleigh – the commander who had beaten and tortured her, broken her with his men until she sobbed begging for mercy, had been right. She was a scared, pathetic, little girl by then. She had followed Marjolaine blindly. Devoted to the mentor she loved so unconditionally. Looking back at it she should have seen the signs, read the warning signals. She glanced sideways at the companions as they prepared themselves for a good night's sleep. Sinniralin, the elf, tossed her satchel onto the ground before ducking into the tent she shared with their leader. The satchel was deep-green, not like Marjolaine's. Hers had been a subtle corn coloured satchel. Leliana remembered it clearly. It had no initials embroidered onto it, no personal belongings stuffed into it. She snorted. The very thing she admired about Marjolaine – her way of never giving away anything of herself, yet being able to seem so personal, so honest and true, but in truth she was simply sticking to the rules of the game… of course she was bound to use it on Leliana as well. What had she really known about Marjolaine? Was any of it real? Or was it all just lies and deceits? It must have been lies, no one could do what Marjolaine had done to her.

Chewing her bottom lip she tried to focus on the warm campfire, tell the different shades of red and yellow from one another, trying to see where the blue in the flames started and ended. When it didn't work she pinched her nose bridge, closing her eyes. Why was she remembering all of this now?

.

.

Waking up she found her arms and legs in shackles on the table she was lying on. They were too tight and cut into her flesh every time she tried to move. The thick linen bag was stilled placed on her head, but someone had removed the guard's glove. Her head pounded, her side throbbing from her wound. Her arms had been sliced by thin glass daggers, leaving her bleeding, and aching. Her feet burned with such pain she could barely breathe. They had cut her foot soles so that she would not be able to escape. She cried silently where she lay before the pain became so overwhelming she fell unconscious once more.

The bag was abruptly ripped off her head as two guards forced her onto her knees.

"You only have to tell me who you work for. Who were you going to sell those documents to?" Raleigh's aggressive voice sounded from behind her back.

"I'm not a spy." She whispered weekly. She had been denied water and food, only given some to keep her alive, nothing more. The guards would bag her head the minute their torture was over and she could no longer remember whether she had slept or not.

"You wench!" Raleigh roared behind her back before the two guards forcefully pushed her head into the tub filled with water in front of her.

Panic struck her as she gulped fistfuls of water, trying desperately to push her head back, but two sets of hands held her firmly in place underneath the surface. Her lungs screamed for air, black dots swimming before her eyes when her head was finally pulled up by the hair. She vomited and gasped for air. They continued until she fainted and the commander decided he had had enough fun for one day.

Waking up she found herself naked in a cell, stripped of all her clothes. The dungeon was cold and damp and she huddled into a ball to keep herself warm. Her body was cut and bruised, swollen in places she didn't even know existed until now.

The door to her cell rustled as a guard leaned into it, his steel armour grating against it. "He's coming for you, you know." He stated matter-of-factly.

It took her a while to realize he was talking to her. "W-what?"

"The commander. He's tiring of your games, spy. He's coming for you."

"P-please help me, I didn't… he can't just kill me." She sobbed. She didn't want to die, not now, not like this.

"That's not what he's going to do. He's going break you. Afterwards he might kill you." The guard laughed.

She had wept into her hands, fear racking her cold, naked body, her mind petrified by what she was going to have to endure.

.

.

Leliana shivered where she sat as she sought comfort in the warm campfire with her eyes, and from the sounds of the companions moving in the camp with her ears. It calmed her, kept her grounded whenever she thought the memories of that night would bring her in and trap her, swallow her whole.

She had been so young, so foolish. Naïve. And a lot angrier and wild back then. She smiled to herself. She had in fact been quite cheeky and insolent at that time. To think that she had pinned those undergarments up on the Chantry board! She giggled a little not caring if anyone heard her. Sketch and Tug her two comrades in arms had always rolled their eyes at her sometimes childishly innocent mischief.

Tug. It was with a dull sense of sadness she remembered her former crew member who had died at the hand of Raleigh. Anger swirled to life again and she felt her head pound, as she tasted blood in her mouth. She had avenged his death, she could do no less, he was like the father she never had and the commander had taken that from her, had tortured him until his body could no longer bare the pain inflicted on it. She remembered Raleigh's face contort in fear as she raised the candelabra above her head. She remembered the satisfaction it gave her, the rush of power surging through her. Then she had turned to Marjolaine, the woman she loved and had so solely given her heart to, the one who had betrayed her, cast her to the wolves.

Marjolaine's eyes had never been browner. Never been colder. A chill crept down the bard's spine as she remembered the darkness in them.

"Why?"

"Ah, my Leliana, you cannot be so gullible. Surely you must know why, beside the fact that the commander was an excellent, how shall I say it…? Lover."

"You already destroyed me Marjolaine, and still… you're trying to hurt me." She turned her back from her mentor, not really caring if Marjolaine decided to kill her for real this time. Parts of her were already dead.

"Because… the documents, you knew about them, and eventually… you would betray me…" Marjolaine moved behind her back. "So I did it first."

_So I did it first_. Those were the last word Marjolaine had spoken to her before she had fled to Lothering. Marjolaine had walked away before the bard had turned around, taking with her not only her heart, but also the purest part of her soul, and Leliana knew she would never be the same again.

"Are you alright?"

The bard jumped at the sudden sound of the templar's voice. "Oh, Allycat. You scared me."

The templar frowned at his nickname. "You know, my name is Alistair."

Leliana chuckled. "I'm sorry, _Alistair_."

"Well, now it just sounds pompous." He pouted before holding out a bowl with soup in it. "Sin told me to come give you this, saying that you probably needed cheering up."

Accepting the bowl she looked across the campfire to see Sin standing on the other side, the strange shadowcloak swirling around her feet. Tilting her head slightly wondering what made the elf think she needed cheering up. Sin chuckled form where she stood, giving her the slightest nod before taking off into the pitch black forest to stand guard.

"Thank you." She said smiling to herself.

"She also instructed to give me this. Under the threat of beating me to a pulp if I didn't I might add."

She laughed. Alistair and Sin didn't really get along. They weren't exactly rivals, but there was the glares and straightening up whenever Deanna was near. Unrolling the small parchment she saw Sin's elegant handwriting. _Just so you know, you're not alone. Alistair makes for pretty good company if you want to listen to stories about pretty bunnies and cheese._

She laughed her twinkling laughter before tucking the rolled up parchment inside her bracers.

"I should go find her." She excused herself quickly to the bewildered templar.

.

.

Raleigh hadn't come for her that night. He had wanted her to feel the terror paralyse her. He wanted her own mind to hurt her as much as he would. The night he sent for her was a damp, chill night. The guard who came to fetch her walked silently behind her in the dim lit corridors, the rustling of his armour the only sound.

"The commander is waiting for you." He said coldly as they came to the end of the corridor.

She swallowed thickly before she pushed the door open. She was wearing a thin gown barely covering her body. He stood up as he heard her enter and motioned for her to walk towards the bed. Doing as she was told her eyes darted back and forth desperately looking for something to use as a weapon. Her eyes fell on the sabres that hung majestically above the bed like an ornament. They crossed each other above the Orlesian emblem, and she could see the candles reflect their dull light in it. She felt her heart race as she tried to figure out how to unhook the sabres when Raleigh was suddenly behind her, grabbing her by the throat.

"Don't even think about it." He snarled where he stood, pulling her close, grabbing her breast roughly with his other hand.

She winced at the pain. He seemed to revel in it and dug his teeth into her throat kissing it passionately still holding her throat in a tight grip. She tried to fend him off, used her elbows to jab at his ribs. He only jeered at her, grabbing her between her loins violently. The repulsion she felt overtook her and she jerked her head forwards just to smash the back of it in to his face. There was eerie sound of his nose breaking before the commander screamed in agony. Despite her injuries and despite her fatigue she leapt away from him, twisting around to face him. His fist connected with her face, sending her sprawling backwards. He lunged at her, but she rolled over crawling away from him towards the door. She had almost reached it when his strong hand grabbed her ankle, jerking her backwards. She clasped at everything she could think of in panic, but he kept pulling her towards him. Then her hand felt the release of thick, cold iron in her hand and she looked up to see the heavy candelabra wobble above her. Acting instinctively she grabbed it with her other hand, twisting around as she sat up, swinging the heavy candelabra at the surprised commander. He grunted as it smashed into the side of his face. She swung at him again, and again, and then again. Blood splattered all over her and when she swung it the last time Marjolaine entered the room. The bard was standing above the commander by now, heaving, and crying as she dropped the large ornament to the floor. She could sense her mentor before she had even spoken a word. She could recognize her sweet smell from miles away.

When Marjolaine had left the bard spun on her feet. Darting around the room she pulled on the commander's clothes. They hung like bags on her scrawny body. Pulling off his large boots she dashed out in the corridors, boots in her hands, running as fast as she could. The walls echoed with the slapping of her bare feet against the cold stone, fear spurring her to keep moving. She didn't stop until midday, boots still held firm in her hand, her feet bloodied and raw from fleeing through the forest, climbing the high rising mountains that led to the Heartlands.

.

.

Walking through the dark forest pushing the remnants of old memories aside she felt raindrops fall gently onto her face. Leliana stopped for a moment lifting her face towards the clear night sky letting the rain wash away the pain. Tears mingled with raindrops as she smiled. It was time to let go now. Other things had come into her life. Other _people_. Lowering her face her gaze fell on the illusive elf. Her smile widened when she saw something unexpected. The elf stepped out from the shadow she was skulking in, spreading her arms wide, face turned towards the sky, seemingly soaking up the rain. Observing her Leliana thought Sin seemed different somehow, not so dark and ominous. Her posture seemed less tense. Why was that?

She had wanted to talk to Sin. Something had changed since they had left the Fade. Something kept urging her to talk to the elf. Since their talk at the campfire she longed to talk to Sin again. The feeling stirred alive in her stomach whenever the elf was near, and she found herself shaking nervously, trying to think up a thousand different things she could say, but the elf always withdrew or stayed too far away. It was confusing, and frustrating. Whenever Sin walked by she was overwhelmed by the urge to just be close to her, but then something stopped her. As if a barrier shot up between them.

Watching Sin now Leliana could see her from a different point of view, there was something innocent about the elf standing in front of her. And as much as she wanted to finally try and talk to the elf again, she found that she'd rather remember her like this, so she stayed. Watching the elf with a smile on her face.


	13. The Name

**THE NAME**

"AND AGAIN." BELKIN ORDERED HER as he removed the wooden cane from her arm. Sinniralin grimaced and rubbed it before getting back up on her feet. As she did so he rapped his cane at her again. It connected with the side of her face. Pain flared up and her ear rang from the blow as she tasted blood in her mouth. Anger welled up inside her. She hated it when Belkin did that. It always made her feel as if he toyed with her, humiliating her on purpose. She gritted her teeth, cursing under her breath in frustration, lashing out with her own cane at him.

He deflected it easily with a lazy flick of his cane, whacking it at her knees in response to her attack. It hit her with such force she stumbled forwards. Feeling her temper flare she attacked again. This time angrier and more forceful, screaming as she attacked him. Her cane crashed into his ribs. She could feel the cane vibrate in her hand from the impact and she grimaced slightly. Belkin barely flinched, but used his cane to sweep her feet from under her. She fell like a stone grunting loudly as her shoulder slammed into the ground.

"Watch your legs Sin." Belkin instructed, his green eyes focused and scrupulous. "Now again."

Pain shot through her shoulder, little black dots swimming before her eyes, her head spinning from the earlier blow. "I can't." she muttered where she lay on her knees clutching her shoulder.

"I said _again_." Belkin's cane hit her other shoulder causing her cry out in agony.

"I can't! It hurts!" She growled angrily.

He swung the cane at her head in response. Her eyebrow and bottom lip cracked open at impact and she slumped onto the ground stunned with pain.

"Your enemies won't care for your pain. There are no second chances in life Sin. Second chances are for people who depend on luck. You, Sin will depend on your skills alone. You will be invincible." And with that Belkin left her bleeding in the pouring rain on the muddy sparring fields.

.

.

Sin lifted her gaze. She had hated Belkin that day, and quite frankly for the rest of that month, her pride and ego severely injured. But he had been right. If the enemy knew about your pain they would have the advantage. You had to control your pain on the battle field, block it out. Sometimes it was the only thing that stood between life and death. Belkin had been wrong about the other thing though. She was not invincible. As skillful as she was, she could be defeated. _Though not killed_… She rubbed her side absentmindedly. The wicked element that lived inside her somehow kept her alive when she shouldn't be. The injury she had suffered from the battle with Uldred was the second injury that should have killed her, still, here she was. She had seen her side. It looked as if a sabre tooth or some other kind of animal had ripped off a large chunk of her side. She should at least be deformed, but there was nothing but a large scar. It would soon fade to a faint line just like her other scars. The ones on her back from the flogging in the dungeon still hadn't faded, but they too would, unlike someone else's scars…

Her eyes fell on the bard who walked next to Deanna underneath the proud crowns of the forest. The stream twisted and turned next to them, its pleasant pooling of water their constant companion as they followed the overgrown, grassy path. The bard seemed in a lighter mood today. Last night she had gone through something, something she didn't want to talk about the other night at the campfire. Whatever it was Leliana had pulled through, she was strong no doubt, but it had broken something within her, Sin could see that. Part of her wanted to ask the bard what it was, she found herself curious of the bard, intrigued. Leliana was like sugary pastry. Sin had found herself being wary of the bard at first thinking no one could possibly be so… pert, but then the other night she'd seen the battle raging on inside the bard and for some unknown reason she had wanted to stop it. Pulling her hood up she felt herself blush slightly. It was stupid. It was _Leliana_ for Maker's sake. It was she-who-did-the-smiting. Sin still hadn't figured out why the bard had that effect on her, when no one else did. There was something more to the bard. Either Leliana wasn't telling the truth or she didn't even know it herself.

"Do you care to tell me what it is you are?" Sin turned her head to see the witch walk up next to her.

"I thought it was quite obvious." Sin said in her characteristically nonchalant voice pointing at her ears as she pulled down her hood.

"'Tis a good thing you don't look like a jester then." Morrigan sniped at Sin who simply chuckled in response.

"Why are you so eager to know Morrigan?" Sin asked keeping her face turned towards their destination.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" Morrigan narrowed her eyes.

"I can always be persuaded." Sin grinned.

"Well, how? Tell me and it shall be yours." The witch said eagerly.

"Why don't you come to my tent and I'll show you?"

Morrigan stopped, her face contorting in anger. "Don't toy with me elf. I have little patience for games."

"Too bad, I know some pretty fun ones we could play." Sin smiled inwardly, she knew this would scare the witch off. It had taken her one look at Morrigan to know the witch's biggest fear – intimacy. Turning towards the witch she smiled seductively, her eyes half lidded. That should send the right signal to the witch.

Morrigan seemed to think of something to say her lips thinning, subconsciously crossing her arms. Sin hesitated. Was the witch considering her proposition? Morrigan blushed before throwing her hands angrily in the air as she hissed at Sin. Then she stalked off angrily shoving Alistair to the side as she passed him. He yelped as he nearly stumbled and fell.

"Please tell me you're not agitating Morrigan for pure pleasure." Deanna said as she tossed her helmet to Sin who caught it easily.

"Oh, but it's so easy to get her where I want her." Sin moaned as she squeezed the helmet gleefully.

"Please _don't_. She's a liability as it is already. Don't go making her shove poor Allycat." The teryness chided the elf who giggled in response. "I _mean_ it Sin." Deanna tried to sound stern, failing miserably.

Sin smiled. It had been a while since the two of them had been walking together, alongside each other like this. Things had been different then. Shrugging she held the helmet in front of the warden.

"And why am _I_carrying this, might I ask?"

"Because you love me." Deanna said sweetly.

Sin remained silent, laughing half-heartedly as she looked up at the bard. _Don't be ridiculous_.

"So how is she doing?" She asked casually, nodding towards the bard.

"Leliana?" Deanna frowned looking at the bard who was picking flowers, humming to herself. "Uhm…fine? She's picking flowers."

"Did she say anything about last night?" Sin felt as if she was prodding into someone else's business by asking Deanna instead of asking the bard directly. She would if she knew how to.

"Last night?" Deanna's voice seemed to get slightly high-pitched.

"Yes, well…" Sin watched the teryness face. Was that..? No, it couldn't be. Why would Deanna be jealous, she was seeing that _fool_. It was the one thing Sin and Morrigan could agree on. "Are you jealous?" She teased.

Deanna laughed nervously. "Hah! You wish." She grabbed her helmet from Sin's hand. "Me jealous. That's, that's, now… that is just- just silly."

"Of course it is." Sin winked giving the teryness a gentle puff with her shoulder. "So… it's agreed then?"

"What is?" Deanna looked confused.

"Friends? Yes. All forgotten? Since you're not jealous or anything."

Deanna turned to her looking sly. "Friends, but not _everything_ is forgotten." Then she walked off grinning impishly leaving the elf chuckling as she shook her head.

.

.

Leliana felt uneasy where she walked. She had started to notice something strange, a strange wicked presence. It wasn't always there, but she could feel it like a dull vibration, like a faint pulsating. Glancing over at the other companions she wondered if they felt it too. Sin was walking along side Deanna who wore a strange expression on her face. They walked closely together looking as if they had done so many times before. Sin seemed different around Deanna. More relaxed and at ease, not like the other night, but still much more relaxed than when she was around Sin. The thought stung slightly and the bard found herself staring down at the ground feeling disheartened. Why didn't Sin like being around her? Why did Sin act so strange around her? One minute the elf seemed to shy her like the Blight, the next she was thoughtful and caring sending Leliana a small note with a soup.

The bard sighed. It meant nothing. She was doing the same thing she did with Marjolaine. She saw things that weren't there. Sin was as thoughtful with everyone, not just her. Shooting the couple another glance she saw Deanna turn towards the elf lingering dangerously close before walking off with a grin on her face. The bard watched the elf follow the warden with a peculiar look in her eyes. Leliana frowned. She was missing something.

.

.

Sitting by her tent watching the bard put the meat into the stew Sin flicked the vial with lyrium between her fingers. The bard had figured something out. Sin wasn't sure what it was, but Leliana seemed to be keeping her distance from her. She hadn't tried to talk to her since two nights ago. Sin would have thought the bard might have tried to talk to her after Sin forced Allycat to deliver that message for her. In secret she hoped she would have, but she hadn't. _So this is just to prove you wrong and make you think what you know is not actually true…_Sin told herself. _Not because I like you, because I _don't.

Uncapping the vial she downed it and walked towards the bard, edging closer slowly, letting her body adjust to the bard's presence. Leliana looked up from the pot, with a surprised and perplexed look on her face. Sin tried to smile disarmingly as the pain came creeping on. Pressing on despite her head's protest she drew closer to the bard who hadn't taken her eyes off of her. She couldn't stop or Leliana would notice. She may look all deer-eyed and innocent, but those eyes noticed everything. She was an exceptionally good rogue after all. Beads of sweat were breaking out on Sin's forehead and she could feel the pain clawing away at her. The strong voices hissing in her head the nearer she drew.

"Are you alright?" Leliana asked concerned as Sin placed herself opposite her stiffly.

"I'm fine… I'm just… it's been a long day." She offered as an explanation. The bard searched her eyes before returning to her stew. She pulled at the lyrium pushing it towards the demonic essence inside her, weakening it. It hurt and she found it hard to breathe where she sat. Pinching her nose bridge she saw the black veins spread across her hand. She quickly hid it inside her cloak. The lyrium wouldn't last much longer. She had to gain control before it ran out. _She is Sàbhailiche kill her_. The voices sang to her. No. _Kill her_. No! She shook her head trying to quiet the voices.

"Do you… can I help you with something?" She managed to wheeze out.

"Here, Sin, you don't sound so good." Leliana said holding out the water skin.

_KILL HER!_"NO!" Sin screamed clasping her head as her hood fell over it covering her face.

"Sin, what's wrong?" The bard asked grabbing the elf's shoulder. The pain flared up and Sin fell forward. She was too close! _I can't do this!_Her thoughts were jumbled and unclear.

"_I said again!" Belkin whipped his cane at her. She saw it fly towards her with an unpleasant speed as she tried to twist away from it. Taking the blow to the side of her head she cried, Belkin towering over her._

"_You are weak Sin. Now get up. GET UP!"_

Belkin's voice rang in angrily her head. Taking a deep breath she used all her magic pulling at it, pushing it at the demon inside her. She wouldn't give in to the pain. Belkin had taught her better than that. Drawing magic from the lyrium she built a wall inside her with it trapping it. It took all her strength and willpower. The spirit roared in her head, slashed at her insides, but she kept pushing her magic at it, ignoring the pain. When she had managed to draw lyrium and build a fifth wall around the demonic essence she felt the voices grow silent and the pain ebb away. Breathing slowly she realized she was leaning into the bard's embrace, her forehead pressing against Leliana's collarbone.

"Sin?" Leliana murmured softly.

Sin sat up quickly, blinking in confusion. "I…" I didn't hurt. Looking around them she saw the other companion's stare at them. Laughing nervously she stood up slowly on wobbly legs scratching the back of her neck. "Well, this was… awkward… I think I'm not completely…"

"Sane?" Morrigan said sarcastically from her tent.

The bard shot her a dirty look before returning her attention to Sin. "Here take this. You did suffer quite the wound. You shouldn't walk around so much especially not without food."

Sin nodded still in awe of the absence of the demonic spirit. "Thank you." She mumbled before talking the bowl stalking off into the woods leaving the bard surprised and confused.

.

.

"What's going on with you?"

Sin turned around on the stock she was sitting on, facing the blonde warden. "What do mean?"

"You. There's something different about you…" Deanna said walking up to her.

"It's the _bard_."

"The bard?"

"Yes…there's something about her."

"What do you mean?"

"She's just no regular bard. I just don't think she's what she says she is. She has this effect on…the _thing_!"

"_The_thing? Is it…" Deanna asked in surprise. She'd only ever heard Sin mention the chantry having an effect on the demonic spirit.

"Bad…she makes it stronger, almost as if her presence angers it. It's a battle every time to keep it from transforming me."

"And lyrium doesn't work?"

"Barely."

"Water?"

"What? Well, yeah I guess if you brought me two buckets filled with water I could stand in every time she's near." Sin snorted causing the teryness to giggle at the mental image. "It's not funny." She grumbled.

"But it _is_." Deanna squinted through an amused smile.

"Will you help me or am I here purely for your entertainment?" Sin slapped the back of Deanna's head irritably.

"Hey! That was uncalled for! Why don't you just…stay away from her then?"

"I don't know…" Sin answered truthfully. Why didn't she?

"Do you…think she's pretty?" Deanna asked carefully.

"What? No! I mean...yes. But that's beside the point!"

Deanna smiled shaking her head patting Sin on her shoulder before leaning in placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "Just as long as she doesn't take my place." She whispered before walking back to camp.

Sin frowned glaring at the teryness' back before returning her attention to her stew.

.

.

"It's all in the head Sinniralin." Croyden, the fat, burly man who had been assigned to teach Sin about alchemy said. Tapping his index finger on the side of his head he smiled knowingly.

"It's not all in the head." Sin retorted stubbornly still angry from another sparring session with Belkin. He was pushing her too hard, her body was full of bruises and cuts and he sparred with her before dawn, late at night, and sent her to Croyden at the most ridiculous hours of the day. She had noticed none of the other crew members were being drilled as hard as she was.

Croyden rubbed his stubbly chin watching her. "What is it kid?" He asked.

"If it was all just in my head then how come this," she slammed her fist into the thick wooden table. "hurts?" She was angry. She was hungry, and she was _tired_!

"I see. Belkin going a little too hard on you?" Croyden chuckled as he sat down in front of her. "Listen kid, I know you have a lot of questions and I will answer them or you'll grow wrinkles and look like a saggy old wench."

"Better than battered and bruised." She muttered.

"Listen Sin. You are…special. Belkin wants you to be perfect. He wants you to be invincible, and I must ask you, would you not want to know how to spar against your master without feeling pain?"

Sin perked up where she sat slouching.

"Yeah, I thought so, but you must pay attention to me and you must practice and believe in what I say." Croyden looked serious where he sat still stroking his stubbly face. When he saw that he had her full attention he put up a neatly drawn chart on the table.

"Everything in life –as you know Sin – has an action and a reaction, no?"

Sin nodded slowly.

"Well, that is true indeed, it's not always true though to say that the reaction must be felt or known. For example, if I stand on a shore and throw a stone into the forest as far as I can, what will the reaction of that action be?" He looked at her intently expecting an answer.

"The stone eventually drops to the ground?"

"Can you be sure of this?"

"No…" Sin said thoughtfully.

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm not there to actually see it?"

"Exactly. You have performed an action, but you are neither aware nor affected by the reaction."

"I see…" Sin was starting to understand the logic behind whatever Croyden was talking about.

"The same goes for pain. If someone hits you, your brain instantly recognizes that you've been hit, therefore letting you know this by…"

"Inflicting pain?"

He nodded approvingly. "But like any other action the reaction to this can be stopped by a strong mind."

Sin dropped the pen she'd been holding. That was it? A strong mind?

Croyden handed her a candle. "Now go to your room. Practice on the candle. When you can no longer feel the fire burn you, you come back and see me." He said before shooing her away.

.

.

Sin stirred her stew slowly. I had taken her two months to teach her mind how to block out the pain from a burning candle, and it took her two years to learn how to block out the pain from sparring with Belkin. Afterwards Belkin had admitted he was being extra hard on her. It would teach her body to endure an incredibly large amount of pain, and it had, but what the bard inflicted on her she had never felt before. _It's all in the head_. She heard Croyden's voice remind her as she felt the strange sensation of tiny needles piercing her every limb. _Leliana_? She turned around. She had not heard the bard approach her, but it was the familiar pain the bard caused her which had alerted her to the bard's presence.

"You're good." She called out to the vast darkness around her.

"Apparently not good enough." Leliana said as she stepped out from the shadows.

"For sneaking up on an elf you are." Sin tried to compliment the bard, but it sounded stupid when she said it. "So, what gives me the honour?" She asked tilting her head.

"I wanted to see if you're ok. You seemed a little distracted earlier."

Sin smiled. "Yes, I was…"

"But you are feeling better now?"

"I am." Looking away from the bard seemed to lessen the pain so she tried to count the stars above their head in a feeble attempt to keep from looking at Leliana. She was…beautiful. Her big eyes were always scouting ahead or looking curiously at something, looking as if she saw the sky for the first time or as if she found someone she held dear in every stranger's face, the red hair a nice contrast to the bard's lovely skin.

"And are you less distracted as well?" Leliana asked as she pulled off her leather boots and dipped her toes into the cool waters of the lake.

Watching the bard Sin found that she wasn't. "I wouldn't say so really." She smiled at Leliana and let her eyes lock with the bard's long enough before looking away, still smiling.

Leliana blushed before lowering her eyes, crossing her arms. "You're using your skills on me!"

Sin laughed. "What skills?"

"Your…your…" She flushed angrily.

"And are they working?"

"Not the least." The bard retorted stubbornly as she sat down next to Sin.

Sin closed her eyes as Leliana's warm body nearly brushed against her arm. Leliana sighed as she lay down on the warm ground.

"It's a clear night tonight." The bard mumbled as she stuck her hands underneath her head.

Sin bent her head backwards staring up at the vast night sky. It looked as if someone had strewn a million diamonds across a dark blanket. "It's quite nice, isn't it?" She mumbled as she ignored the pain._It's all in the head_. The more she focused on the line the easier it became to ignore the pain, dulling it to an annoying stinging.

"It's weird…" Leliana pondered.

"What is?" Sin had to sit on her hands not to give in to the temptation of trying to pull out the bard's hand from under her head and put her own hand in it, or lay down next to her.

"How something so simple like a starry night can make you feel so safe. When really…you're never safe."

"You don't have to worry Ellie. Nothing's going to happen. Deanna won't let it, nor will Allycat." _Or i_.

The bard sat up staring at her. "What did you call me?"

"I… uh… Ellie? I'm sorry I make up nicknames all the time. I won't…"

"My mother used to call me that…" The bard said quietly before smiling widely. "Thank you." She beamed as she leant towards Sin. As Leliana's lips were to brush against her cheek Sin felt something odd change in their surroundings.

"Wait." She whispered, standing up grabbing her daggers. "Trouble ahead."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**DISCLAIMER:** Everything you recognize from DA:O belongs to BioWare, everything else is my crazy imagination. :D

**AN.**I think I got one of the nicest reviews ever on the last chapter. :)

So thanks to those of you who review, and read this story!

Again, I have no beta-reader so please excuse any errors you might have found in the text, and feel free to point them out for me! :D

Hope you all had a nice Christmas.

Till next time, enjoy and happy new year. :)

~elmjuniper


	14. Milleadair: The Destroyer

**Milleadair: The Destroyer**

SINNIRALIN CURSED THE BAD TIMING as she crept into a crouch, letting the shadowcloak's tassels drop towards the ground.

"What is…wait, what is that?" Leliana asked as she unsheathed her short swords listening to the strange sound of low murmurs.

Pulling up one of her vials, swallowing its contents Sin let the magic burst out from her mouth, humming gently as it twisted and turned through the air. It came to a stop at a magical entity. Pulling on her gloves, ignoring the pain she grabbed the bard by the hand.

"This way." Sin said as she led them towards the place where her magic lingered. She frowned. The magic's scent felt familiar somehow. A faint smell of honeysuckle and daisies, it reminded her of something Belkin once had taught her and she slowed down.

"Wait here." She ordered the bard releasing her hand. Leliana opened her mouth to protest, but was silenced by the seductress.

"No. Wait. _Here_." She snapped angrily as an uneasy chill crept up her spine. Only a few steps away from them a black cloud of magic swirled ominously in the air, parts of it reaching out desperately for something. It growled and moaned venomously.

"A curse…" She muttered as her hands burst aflame.

Walking up towards the curse she saw it twist and turn, hissing and spitting. She squinted her eyes. Something was glowing in the middle of it. As she drew closer she saw the golden orb flicker back and forth inside the black cloud, searching for something. Padillion's Eye. It was an old Tevinter curse Belkin had taught her. The curse was put on anyone you wanted to be able to keep an eye on and then, when time allowed it, kill it. The orb flickered, then rotated eerily reminding Sin of a eye.

"Right. You've seen enough." She snarled as she rammed her hand into the darkness, ripping the eyelike orb out with force. It shrieked and she saw the bard take a startled step backwards at the shrill sound. The cloud hissed once more before exploding and evaporating into the warm night.

"W-what was that?" Leliana gasped frightened.

"That was…" Sin's gaze fell on the crystal orb in her hand. It had gone cold, but trapped within it she saw a strand of the familiar blood-red hair. She looked up at Leliana. The curse had been hers, not the warden's like she had expected. "Just a nasty demon. It probably followed us from the tower." Sin lied.

A curse had been put on the bard, quite a wicked one as well. She knew Leliana was keeping something from them, but what was it? No regular person had spells like this cast on them. How long had it been following them? Or was the question, how long had the cursed followed the bard for? Scanning the area around them with her eyes she saw a faint outlining by the edge of the forest. She reached out with her magic touching at it. It wasn't just the curse following them there was someone else out there.

"We should get back to camp…" She said slowly ushering the bard forward, keeping her daggers close at hand, her watchful eyes and sensitive ears keeping track of their follower.

Heads turned as they returned to camp, Deanna wearing an obvious irritated frown. Sin gave the bard a quick nod before her eyes swept the campsite looking for the enchantress and the witch. Seeing the enchantress sit outside her tent Sin moved towards her.

"Wynne?"

The old woman looked up at her, regarding her with a weary look on her face. "Yes child?"

"Are…you alright?" She asked worried, pushing her hand into her pouch, fishing up a small bottle of deep-green, thick goo.

"You are the second person to ask me tonight. I'm not sure I take it as a compliment." Wynne said the corner of her mouth quirking upwards.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you, but you just look tired, and…I'm not making it any better, am I?" Sin mumbled sheepishly.

Wynne chuckled motherly. "What is it you need?"

Sitting down next to the mage she handed her the bottle. "I don't need anything, but I think you might need this."

"What is this?" Wynne asked curiously as she tasted it.

"Just something I came up with myself."

"You are good with potions then." Wynne said approvingly before adding. "I must ask you Sinniralin, where did you learn all the things you can do?"

Sin remained silent. What was she to say? I learnt some of it as a child thief, and the rest when I first became possessed by this evil spirit? "I…learnt a lot of it from my old master. He was very good with alchemy…"

She could sense the Wynne knew it was something she wished not to talk about so before she pressed it any further Sin quickly held out her hand with the small orb in it.

"Have you ever seen any of these before?"

Wynne's eyebrows knit together as she picked it up, holding it towards the campfire between her thumb and index finger eyeing it.

"This is a powerful curse. Not like an ordinary one. This curse is not meant to kill, but to poison." The wise enchantress said.

"Poison?" sin had never heard of such thing.

"Yes, it seems like an ordinary Padillion's Eye, but that curse kills you eventually. This one was meant to keep track of something and poison it. Not to kill, but to…weaken. See this?" Wynne twisted the orb and pointed at a tiny symbol carved into it. Sin nodded. "That means 'solitude'. Whomever this spell was cast upon was meant to be alone and isolated for the rest of their life." Wynne looked up from wearing a serious face.

"Where did you find this."

Sin bit her bottom lip. There was no point in hiding anything from the enchantress, especially not if she needed her help. "I sensed the curse while…scouting at the lake. I think it belongs to…" She cast the bard a quick glance before meeting Wynne's eyes.

"Leliana?" Wynne asked in surprise.

"There is someone following us. Probably the maleficar who cast the spell." Sin got up staring into the forest. "Can you keep a hold on that one for me?"

"What will you be doing?" The enchantress gave her a worried look.

"I've have got some hunting to do." Sin muttered, pulling up her hood before throwing a glance over at the bard who was strumming her lute where she sat outside her tent.

"Keep her safe." She mumbled before taking off not noticing the smile that suddenly grew on the old enchantress lips.

"I will."

~•~

Sin crept through the dark shadows, Little Thug circling her high above in the dark night sky. The spellcaster was near. She could feel the soft pulsating of magic reverberate from the spellcaster's body. She clouded herself with magic keeping herself invisible from the spellcaster. Moving swiftly across the soft ground she leapt onto a thick boulder. Pushing off it she threw herself towards the thick branch, grabbing it with both hands, swinging on to it.

The spellcasters camp was abstemious, and she used no campfire, but sat in the dark weaving curses, bottling them for later use. Sin observed her with interest. Why had this apostate mage put such a powerful curse on the bard?

The spellcaster wore a hood, but as she pulled it down Sin could see she was an elf. She pursed her lips. This could be interesting. Whipping out her daggers she let herself fall to the ground landing softly in front of the other elf. The spellcaster hardly looked up, but summoned her magic in her hand ready to attack. Sin was about to dart to the side when she saw the elf's snow-white eyes staring blankly ahead of her. She was blind…

"I'm not here to harm you." Sin said softly using her magic to nudge the other's emotion, soothing them slightly.

She didn't extinguish her magic, but let it glow in her hand. "Your magic doesn't work on me elf."

Sin scowled.

"I'm blind, I'm not a complete fool." The spellcaster said matter-of-factly before continuing. "You're the one who broke my curse earlier."

"I am."

"And you've come to ask me 'why'."

"I've come to kill you if I have to." Sin snarled, the tips of her daggers dripping with the deadly vileroot.

The elf curled her lips at Sin. "Your words are nothing, but empty words, foolishly spoken by someone who does not know who they are dealing with."

"You don't say…" Sin muttered. She didn't have time for this. "Tell me why and I'll let you live. Try and put another one on my…_friend_, and I will kill you."

"I grow impatient of your disrespect elf." The spellcaster snapped.

"And I of yours." Sin hissed dangerously as she closed her eyes, drawing on the demonic essence inside of her. She let it burst alive in her eyes, black smoke belching from them. She heard the spellcaster draw her breath in terror, withdrawing the spirit, forcing it back in, trying not to let it overtake her.

"Milleadair, forgive me!" the elf exclaimed in shame hanging her head. Sin took a step back.

"What does that mean?" Sin asked perturbed at the name.

"Milleadair, the Destroyer." The woman gasped.

"How do you know of me?"

"The scrolls mistress." She said faintly, her voice barely a whisper.

"What scrolls?" The elf took a step forward advancing on the blind woman. The prophecy! She knew the prophecy.

"I do not know their names Mistress. I only…I've never read them, we are not worthy. We are just told your name and purpose." The woman was leaning forward in a sitting bow.

Swallowing thickly Sin breathed slowly, fearing the answer to what she was going to ask. "And what is my purpose?"

"I am not worthy to tell you. It is your destiny to find out yourself." The woman said before unsheathing a dagger. It flashed in the dark before she plunged it into her heart.

"NOOOO!" Sin flung herself at the elf, grabbing her. "What are you doing?"

"You will not force the purpose from my lips…" The woman whispered between her ragged breathing, her eyes glossy and pale.

Staring about her wildly Sin tried to find a healing potion or anything to help the dying elf.

"You must…" The woman could hardly speak, her body shivering in tremor.

"I must what?"

"Kill Sàbhailiche." She drew a ragged breath, coughing, grimacing as she did so. Then her breath came in little gasps, just to slow down and then suddenly she wasn't breathing anymore. Sin sat with her in her arms before she let go, turning back to camp.

~•~

Wynne saw the elf return, her face pale, wearing a distant look in her eyes. Opening her book she let her eyes read the lines she had discovered a few days earlier before studying the elf again.

_The Destroyer: Born a Felling child, a twin like its predecessors. The Destroyer bears the mark of death, and will conquer all mortal born. The Destroyer will bring forth the era of Tes'Hathr, he will awaken the archdemon to serve as his slave bringing death and destruction upon Thedas, mankind once again bowing to Tes'Hathr – the Creator of the Old Gods._

Wynne had spent many years in the Circle learning how to wield her magic. She was intuitive and perceptive, and the moment the elf had set foot inside the Mage Tower Wynne had felt the change in atmosphere. Something wicked had settled over them. She had noticed how the fire demons seemed drawn to the elf, but she had slain them before they had gotten close. Wynne wondered what had happened if she hadn't.

Watching Sinniralin parts of her believed she held the answer to many of the companions' questions in her hand, yet Sinniralin did not display the obvious traits of a destroyer. Firstly she was a girl, or a young woman rather, and not a male. Secondly Sinniralin protected them from harm, and along side the others she fought the Blight. She did not seem to induce the Blight. Although for some reason the passage in the old enchantress' book seemed to fit Sinniralin and Wynne's intuitive side kept urging her to put the two of them together.

Throwing another glance at the taciturn elf Wynne decided that whatever Sinniralin was she deserved more than all this suspicion directed towards her from some of the others. She would simply have to put her faith in this elf that seemed to have many things in common with the prophecy of a mad man as the Chant referred to the passage of Milleadair. Thinking about that she felt slightly better. This book consisted after all of the most questionable and unwanted documents from the former Chant, if one was to believe the authors of the book. Wynne wasn't sure she did, but then again she wasn't sure she didn't either. She would keep an eye on Sinniralin, but she wouldn't make a decision before she was certain. She liked Sinniralin and she would like to think the charming elf wasn't about to bring death and destruction upon their doorstep.

~•~

Sinniralin watched the rest of the group leave for Redcliffe as she waited on the outskirts of the forest after explaining to Deanna that being seen with her would not gain them any loyalty from the villagers, especially not the Chantry. The teryness had tried to argue they would need Sin in the Fade and by showing herself in the presence of the Grey Wardens whatever she might have done would be ignored. Sin merely shrugged saying Morrigan would suit the task and that it was best for them not to be seen by her.

Watching them go she was thankful to be left alone with Little Thug. She'd gone over last night's event, what seemed to be, a million times in her head. Maybe the elf had been wrong. Maybe she was just crazy. Or maybe…maybe she was right. Turning to the bird she crossed her arms.

"Ok, spit it out." It looked at her, beady eyes darting back and forth. "Well, I've been joined with the grey wardens for nearly three weeks and you haven't flown off to tell your master."

Little Thug cooked his head, hopping up to her placing his beak on her thigh affectionately. She smiled patting his head gently.

"I don't understand you. You're the only one I can't read. You and…Leliana." At the mentioning of the bard's name Little Thug lifted from the ground landing next to the bard's tent. Sin laughed softly. "Yes, that one…I can't…read her at all. She's…the witch I can just look at and it's all there in my head, same with the moronic templar, and the perverted assassin, but with Leliana…nothing."

Looking over at Little Thug she scratched the back of her neck. "Can you…? Please, keep them all safe?"

Little Thug tilted his head before spreading his wings as he leapt into the sky, his shrill cry echoing through the air. Sin smiled as she leaned back on the trunk, the large tree crown shading her from the hot summer sun. Now that she was left alone she would sleep. Everyday in the others company meant battling the demon inside more often and more fiercely and it meant not showing her weariness those days the demonic spirit took over. She lay down on the ground barely closing her eyes before she was fast asleep.

It was past midday when she woke up again. The sun had moved and the tree's refreshing shade had been replaced by the warm afternoon sun. Stretching her arms and legs she realized someone was watching her. She sat up quickly taken slightly aback that the intruder hadn't woke her up when entering their camp. How tired had she really been? Looking she saw the familiar fiery-red hair.

"Ellie?" She mumbled dazed with sleep, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"You are such a sleepyhead. I never thought you'd wake up." The bard smiled where she sat oiling the string on her bow.

"You've been sitting there watching me sleep?" Sin asked looking awkward. _Pray to all the gods I didn't drool_…

The bard nodded, still smiling.

"That's kind of creepy…" Sin mumbled causing the bard to burst out in her twinkling laughter as she got up from where she was sitting, walking up towards the elf.

Sin was bracing herself, preparing her body for the pain, but found nothing happened as the bard squatted in front of her. She scowled suspiciously. What was going on?

Leliana cupped her face with her soft hands leaning in close.

"Uhm…Ellie?" Sin struggled to keep her mind from reeling.

"Deanna isn't here now. It's just you and me." The bard whispered softly, her plump, pink lips the only thing Sin could focus on before Leliana pressed her lips roughly against Sin's kissing her passionately. Sin responded quickly, letting her tongue explore the bard's as she grabbed her hips, pulling the bard towards her. The bard moaned in-between kisses as she straddled Sin. Sin moved to kiss her neck, the bard whispering huskily, grinding herself at Sin. The elf was unbuckling the bard's leather armour when she heard Leliana gasp in pain.

"What?" She asked looking at Leliana's pale face, her steel grey eyes flickering slightly before she fell lifeless to the side.

"Ellie?" Sin exclaimed, fear gripping her body as she stared at the bard's blood-covered chest. "No, no, no! What's happening?" The elf grabbed the lifeless body trying to shake it back to life.

"You killed her." Wynne stood behind her point her finger at her.

"I…I didn't. I promise I would never hurt her."

"You killed her Sin." Deanna said staring at the bard's pale corpse.

"You killed her." The dark shadow behind the companions praised her with wonder, before laughing a terrifying, unnatural laugh, filling her head.

She woke up screaming, her clothes soaked in sweat, staring frantically around her.

"Sin! Sinniralin!" The bard was kneeling behind her.

_Leliana_? She back paddled away from the bard. "Stay away from me Leliana."

The bard moved to comfort her but she stood up drawing her daggers. "I don't want to hurt you. Stay away."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**AN.**Well, well… things are indeed heating up. Sin is getting closer to finding out what she really is and her purpose, but what part does Leliana play in this?

I know I said the update would come on Thursday at the latest, but I forgot that it was the day before new years and I'd be butt busy. I hope you forgive me though. :)

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and feedback! For all the favs and subscriptions and of course for taking the time to read this. :)

So, you all got your kiss – even if it was just apart of a bad, bad dream. ;)

Hope you all had a wonderful new year and Christmas. Please review, it surely makes my day.

Till next time!

~Elmjuniper


	15. Road To Denerim

**AN. **This chapter contains some steamy F/F action. If you do not like, then I honestly don't know how you gotten this far into the story. ;) nothing too shocking – by Swedish standard. ;) Enjoy!

* * *

**THE ROAD TO DENERIM**

LELIANA KICKED THE DIRT HARD with her leather boot feeling her temper rise. Ever since the day before she had felt edgy to the point of nervous. They had been told to seek out this Brother Genitivi in Denerim. She shuddered. It was the last place she wanted to be, and to make matters worse yesterday's strange event still lingered at her back of her head. Sinniralin had woken up, a frightened, animalistic look in her eyes. The bard had tried to soothe her, but Sinniralin had been angry shouting at her to leave her alone. The bard felt a slight stab as she remembered the elf drawing her daggers.

Leliana bit her cheek glaring at the elf. She thought that after their brief conversations things had changed, but apparently they hadn't. Sinniralin had gone back to not speaking to her, staying well away from her. She didn't understand. Had she done something wrong? Should she confront Sin about it? What did she mean with that she did not want to hurt her? Breaking a twig between her hands in frustration she muttered. This was ridiculous. She was like a pining farm girl longing for the prince or to see the world. Snorting she returned her attention to the road deciding that ignoring the elf would be the best thing she could do.

She was trying her best to scan the ground and surroundings for any signs of the dark spawns when she saw the blond warden walk up to the elf. They seemed to exchange words. Deanna seemed…annoyed and said something, gesticulating with her arms when Sin lifted her gaze to look briefly at the bard before quickly looking away again.

Leliana muttered Orlesian profanities under her breath. Why did Sin have such an effect on her anyway? Sighing heavily she lifted her head looking towards the horizon. In a few days time they would reach Denerim and regardless of the elf Leliana knew she would have trouble explaining to the others why she would wait outside Denerim and not go with them without having to tell them about the night. Perhaps she could risk going back to Denerim now that she was travelling alongside the Grey Wardens? _Oh, why did it have to be Denerim? Why couldn't brother Genitivi live in the forest?_ She thought as she treaded along the dusty dirt road.

As the day went on getting them closer to their destination the bard felt more and more as if someone was watching her, watching her every step. She felt a chill creep up her spine, shrugging involuntary. It was just her imagination, it was the stress of knowing she would somehow have to face her demons and enter the last place in Ferelden she and Marjolaine had ever visited together.

~•~

Sin was circling the perimeter trying to rid herself of the dream she had had the other day. It was just a dream, but it had felt so real. The bard's lips kissing her passionately, her hands travelling Leliana's toned body as she moaned softly in her ear. The memory of the dream was torturous. Then there was the part where the bard fell lifeless to the ground. Sin felt her face twitch. The shadow had been urging her too kill the bard, had been in awe when Leliana fell dead. No matter how real the kiss had seemed, it had been a dream, but the real threat was what Sin could really do to her if she didn't control the spirit, and it frightened her. She would never hurt the bard, lest she pick up that annoying habit of making a tune to every object she saw along their path… Sin chortled to herself thinking of the outraged witch who'd stormed out from her tent demanding the bard stop torturing her with her abominable song about stones, mud, tree trunks and leaves. Slowing down her walk she heard the teryness' angry footsteps behind her back. Gritting her teeth she groaned as Deanna pulled to a stop behind her, clearing her throat.

"Yes my dear?"

"Do you like her?"

Sin turned around to face the angry teryness. "This isn't going to be one of _those _arguments, is it?"

"What arguments?" Deanna asked in frustration.

"Where you are entitled to do one thing and I'm not." Sin remarked dryly.

"Well, do you?"

"Like who?"

"Morrigan?"

Sin frowned in surprise. "What, no."

"Then what are you playing at?" Deanna asked angrily, her face flustered.

"I'm sorry, apart from the fact that I'm a seductress and it's what I do, I really don't see what the problem is." Sin retorted. If she wanted to flirt with the witch, she would very well do so, the teryness made her choice long ago. She had no say in this.

"Well, how about you don't do what you do! How about you just _talk_ to people without the rest of it."

"Just talk? Well, why don't you try talking the Blight out of Ferelden if talk is such fabulous tool?" Sin snarled.

"That's not the same thing."

"No? Really? What do you want from me?" Sin shouted angrily.

"I don't know!" Deanna shouted back before grabbing Sin by her blouse pulling her lips towards her own, kissing her feverishly. Flashes from yesterday's dream came at the elf, the bard's soft lips, her lecherous moans, and her beautiful breast and Sin felt the need grow in her abdomen like a wildfire. Pulling the warden close Sin's quick fingers unbuckled the ungainly armour. It clanked to the ground as she claimed the teryness' mouth with her own again, pushing her up against a nearby tree, her left hand caressing the exposed skin. Kissing her throat Sin found her way to the teryness' collarbone trailing her way down softer regions. Deanna moaned, her hands holding Sin's head in place as she worked wonders with her mouth. Pulling the seductress' mouth back towards her own Deanna nipped at her neck and she growled in pleasure and pain. It had been too long. Pulling Deanna onto the ground with her she didn't wait for the teryness to grant her access, but slithered her hand into her pants thrusting inside her. She was rewarded by a pleasant moan from the fair teryness. She let her fingers slip in and out slowly and gently at first then increasing her speed, pushing into Deanna with more force, her lovely breasts swaying with every thrust. Deanna arched into the seductress, letting her free hand slip in-between the elf's loins, stroking the seductress' hot core. They both tensed and quivered before releasing a soft gasp. Deanna clung on to Sin, hiding her face at the base of her neck.

"That was…"

"Stupid Deanna." Sin said slowly where she lay. Deanna lifted her head looking at her in the dark.

"What?"

"Things aren't the way they used to be… you're a Grey Warden and I'm…you're with Allycat."

Deanna crept closer. "But he's not you…"

"Neither am I." Sin said quietly, arms wrapped around the teryness. She wanted to chuckle at the irony. She had longed for Deanna for so long, mended her broken heart since the day she chose to agree to her father's demands. Yet when she had the teryness in her arms again, all she could think of was…

"Dee?" The templar's voice called out. "Dee? Are you alright, I thought I heard." He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the two of them. Sin's hair full of moss and twigs, unruly strands of hair hanging in her face. She was brushing off her knees as Deanna appeared from behind the trunk looking flustered.

"Hey Allycat." She said. "We thought we could spot falcon eggs at the top, but fell down. That tree must be really old…" Her voice trailed off.

"Yeah…" Sin said. "I've got…to go. To…bed." She mumbled before taking off, feeling the templar's otherwise so gentle eyes burn with an intense anger at her back.

~•~

Sin was watching the bard where they walked. She seemed fidgety and nervous, Deanna walking next to her. They hadn't talked about what had happened a few nights earlier. It was best that way. Besides Allycat was watching them like a hawk, he was almost more creepy then Little Thug. Almost.

Returning her attention back to the bard she scowled. Leliana was hiding something. The closer they drew to Denerim, the more closed up and distant she became. She kept observing the bard, during the day when they walked, during the nights when the other slept, and it wasn't until they reached the outskirts of Denerim Sin found the answers to all her question. Tucking the dark hair in her hand that Little Thug had returned with, she walked over to Allycat. She would need his help.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

**AN. **Oh my my… Sin and Deanna. Tsk, tsk. Up to nothing but naughtiness. Hope you liked this little interlude which is a special treat for you since you all have been so lovely with the reviews! Thank you. :D

Denerim, both Sin and Leliana have more than unpleasant memories from that city, perhaps it will bring them closer, or will it bring them even further apart?

Again, thanks for all the reviews!

Till next time. :)

~Elmjuniper


	16. Hurt

**HURT**

SOMETIMES WHEN SHE THOUGHT ABOUT the red-headed bard she did so with some sense of longing, though it rarely happened. Not because she didn't sometimes miss the bard, but because she wouldn't allow herself to. She let the silk scarf slip between her fingers. It was still draped in the bard's scent despite the years that had passed.

Val Royeaux, no city could compare to its high rising spires and colourful marquees, Marjolaine glanced out across the crowded courtyard. It was in Val Royeaux she had first met the youthful, inviting bard. When she first met Leliana she had been young, young and naïve wanting nothing more than to impress the older master manipulator. Marjolaine had revelled in the attention, soaking up the young girl's infatuation with her. It was not long until she discovered the young girl had very good potential to become a great bard. The young bard had been so pure, still so ripe when she first bedded her. Marjolaine took great pride in that conquest. It was then she had truly made the bard _hers_.

The bard had been different then. Angrier, bolder, and more adventurous, but in time the bard had grown a conscience or did she always have one? Marjolaine couldn't remember who she was or what her name was before she became Marjolaine. This life was all she knew. This way of living was the only way she had ever lived, the game was her life and once upon a time it had been the bard's way of living as well. Leliana had revelled in the rush of a kill, had taken great pride in how cunning and manipulative she could be. With Marjolaine's mentoring the bard had gotten very far and together they had lived a glamorous life in Orlais as noblewomen. Marjolaine remembered their passionate life together. How they explored each other with such intensity they lay breathless afterwards. How they had experimented together. How Marjolaine had held the bard close as a nobleman plunged into her. The nobleman thrusting into _her _bard, fucking her hard, the bard whimpering and moaning in-between the two of them. It both enticed and enraged her with jealousy, arousing her greatly.

She had always known though, that it wouldn't last forever. Somewhere along the lines the rules changed and the game became ugly and unlike Leliana Marjolaine had adapted. Still, she could see too much of herself in Leliana. The bard would betray her eventually. Marjolaine knew it as well as she knew the sky was blue. _"Sometimes the sky isn't blue, Marjolaine."_ The bard used to say, but that was just Leliana being the silly romantic that she was. In the underworld there were no grey, only black and white, although somehow the bard never seemed to grasp that. That night in Denerim when Leliana had found out about the content of the documents she had delivered to Commander Raleigh Marjolaine knew that their relationship, their life together would change forever. The time for betrayal had finally arrived.

~•~

Night had settled and the small company had decided to camp outside Denerim before entering the large city to find Brother Genitivi. The camp laid quiet, the crackling campfire and mating crickets buzzing in the serene night. Deanna wrapped her legs around the elf's waist, her back pressed up against a thick trunk as Sin let her fingers stroke her velvety walls, her tongue exploring her mouth once again, smothering the teryness cries of pleasure. Thrusting her hips towards Sin's hand she implored the elf to move faster as she clung on to her, grabbing Sin's tunic with her fist, their sweaty bodies rubbing against each other. Feeling her inner walls throb with the oncoming heat wave she gave one last slow thrust before collapsing into the elf's arms panting heavily.

She had meant to talk to Sin while she was on watch. She needed to know what this thing was. Sin had _left_. She had broken her heart and as much as Deanna wanted to deny it she never really healed from it. She couldn't remember how they got here. One minute they were arguing the next Sin was pushing her up against the tree kissing her demandingly, and she loved it. Sin's hands burned on her skin, making her whole body tremble with desire. All those feelings from years ago washed over her, the feeling of happiness of joy. It was like being back then, when her family was still alive.

"I've missed you." She whispered as she kissed Sin's silky neck.

"I missed you to Dee." Sin mumbled slowly letting the teryness go as she slipped back into her leathers again before turning to look at her. "Why are we doing this?"

_Because I love you_. "I don't know…" Hazel eyes met with winter's breath eyes. _Love me_.

Sin shook her head. "We shouldn't be doing this Dee. We're hurting people."

She knew the elf was right. If Allycat knew he'd be devastated. She sighed as she buttoned her tunic. She had started something with him that she shouldn't have. He was wonderful, caring, cute and he made her laugh, made her feel special, but in comparison to Sinniralin he was…like a rough stone compared to Alindra's shining star. She felt a sting of guilt as she realized that if Sin hadn't returned she would have loved him in her own way. She would have been content with him. Her mother surely would have approved –royal blood and all. But watching Sin she realized she couldn't give her whole heart to the templar. For more than enough of it belonged to the peculiar elf lacing her boots in front of her. Sin said she had loved her…Deanna still clung to that conversation. What about now?

"Sin, I came here to talk to you. When you left…me. Did you..? I mean…do you..?" Her voice trailed off. She couldn't ask her. What if her answer was 'no'?

Sin stood up facing her. "Dee, we…" Her voice seemed to falter. "We had our chance. This, what we're doing here…" She shook her head. "I don't particularly love Allycat, but I don't intend to break his heart either."

_Well what about MINE? _"Of course not…" Deanna found herself saying. "It's complicated and…I should get back to camp." She threw one last glance at the elf before turning her back towards her walking back to their tent.

The bard was sitting by the campfire when she returned looking pale.

"Are you alright Leliana?" She asked as she sat down. The bard's eyes snapped up towards hers as if she had been lost in thoughts. _Strange_. The bard had been behaving rather odd lately.

"Yes, I'm fine thank you, what bout you?" Leliana answered before scrunching her nose. "You've got a certain glow about you tonight, don't you?"

Deanna laughed nervously trying to flatten her hair down at the back. "No I don't."

Suddenly the bard grinned looking mischievous. "So…did you and the templar boy..?"

"What?" Deanna spluttered, blushing fiercely.

"Oh you did, didn't you! I _know _that look." The bard said gleefully as she shuffled closer to the warden before the templar emerged from his tent at the same time as Sin came sauntering out from the forest. The bard's expression changed as she looked from the elf to the warden who seemed to be trying to find something particularly interesting on the ground where she sat.

Deanna prayed silently neither Leliana nor Alistair noticed the elf's wrinkled shirt and messy hair, or the bite mark on her shoulder. Alistair didn't seem to notice, but the bard's meticulous eyes didn't miss a thing and she bit her lip before turning her face back towards the warden.

"Does Alistair know?" She asked quietly.

"Know _what _Leliana?" Deanna asked testily.

The bard seemed to be weighing her options before looking away. "Nothing. I'm sorry." And with that she withdrew to her tent.

~•~

It had been so easy to use Leliana in her scheme, the young woman trusted her completely, followed her so blindly. Still Leliana held her own confidence, stood tall and proud. Only Marjolaine could unsettle her. She knew this of course, she always had, and she played the bard as she wished. Even when it was all crystal clear as to what those documents were the bard trusted her fully when she said it had been a mistake, returning to the awaiting trap with her. Leliana had been naïve to think that Marjolaine wouldn't use her manipulation skills on her. She would, without hesitation. Or?

Marjolaine turned her head sideways, her thick, shimmering brown hair swaying in the brisk wind as she did so. It wasn't so clear to her any more. She would no doubt betray the bard again were she to be put in the same situation once more, but perhaps not with such ease this time. She had expected Leliana to hate her, but even as they stood in the commander's chamber the bard still loved her. Marjolaine spat venom through her spiteful mouth, hurting the bard even more. _You already destroyed me Marjolaine, and still… you're trying to hurt me. _

Marjolaine had succeeded. She knew she would. She knew just what to say. The bard stood with her back turned towards her, but had she not she would have seen Marjolaine's pained expression as she spoke a few of the only true words she had ever said to the bard. _So I did it first_. She had to say it, the game had gone too far, the rules were new and she knew Leliana had gone from being her devoted lover to become her most dangerous enemy. For the first time in years Marjolaine lowered her gaze. It hurt.

~•~

Sinniralin watched the teryness where she walked in her heavy armour underneath the gloomy summer sky. Whatever had happened between them during the past week had been a mistake. She knew she shouldn't have indulged the teryness the first time Deanna kissed her, but she needed the closeness, to feel someone make love to her because she wanted to, not because she was being forced, and she had revelled in the teryness kisses, in her touch. It had been as if she was being alive again, and for a short moment she thought she too could share her life with someone else once all of this was over, once she could return to Nimue and Glub. She shook her head regretfully. Not only had she fooled the teryness into something that could never be, she had fooled herself. She and Deanna were history, no matter how you looked at it. A year ago she thought she would never recover, never mend her broken heart, but somewhere along the line she learned how to live, how to breathe again. _I learnt how to live without you_.

He gaze fell on Leliana who was walking behind the rest of the group looking fidgety and jumpy. The past few days the bard had grown quieter and quieter, hardly touching her food or her lute and since last night Leliana hadn't so much as glanced at her. She narrowed her eyes before letting her eyes find Allycat. The time had come to grovel for the endearing templar.

"Hello Allycat." Sin said as sweetly as she possibly could walking up to the tall warden.

"No." He said looking suspiciously at her through narrowed eyes.

"What?" Sin said in mock innocence.

"You _want _something."

She batted her eyelashes at him a few times before grinning. "That obvious, huh?"

"Well, apart from threatening me with beatings and giving me stupid nicknames, you and I don't actually…talk." He muttered where he walked.

"I could call you Allyprat if it would make you fell any better." Sin smiled endearingly at him referring to his nickname. As much as she disliked him, he was quite a nice chap, he just made it too easy for her to tease him, and in all honesty he did take it like a man.

"Oh, ho, ho, ho! You're so funny, quite the little jester." He mocked, feigning a pout.

"Oh you know you like it." She fired off an unarming smile and slapped his behind which caused the tall warden to jump with a high-pitched squeal.

"Ok, ok what do you want?" He said glaring at her before rolling his eyes. "I swear you and Morrigan are sisters lost at birth or something."

"I should hope not, I was thinking of having my way with her." Sin said as the witch walked passed, winking flirtatiously. Morrigan's eyes widened in surprise before giving her the evil eye.

"Oh stop your red glare Morripuss." Sin smiled seductively biting her bottom lip causing the witch blush before snorting irritably.

Alistair grunted behind her. "Have you been put in this world to torment me?"

Sin turned towards him grinning. "No dear Allycat, this is just my favourite thing to do."

"So exactly what was it that you wanted?"

"I want you to suggest to Deanna that Leliana and I should keep watch outside on the marketplace in Denerim tonight."

"Why? Why don't you do it yourself?" He asked frowning.

"Because, and you'll tell no one because if you do…"

"I know, I know, you'll beat me to a pulp." He sighed reluctantly.

"No, I'll see to it you never get to…_lick_ any lampposts."

Alistair stiffened. "How did you –never mind."

"Recently I found a curse, it belonged to the bard." Sin explained.

"Leliana? But why? Isn't she 'oh pretty colours, birds and flowers'?" Alistair asked imitating a woman's voice. Sin stopped dead in her tracks giving him an uneasy stare causing him to clear his throat.

"Please don't ever do that again." She said before starting to walk again. "Anyway. Someone put that curse on her for a reason. Now I want Leliana to tell me who and why. I can't do that with everyone around, especially not Morrigan."

"Why not?"

Sin gave him a tired stare. "For the same reason you haven't told everyone you haven't…"

"Yes, ok. Fine, I get it!" Alistair interrupted her, waving his hands demonstratively in the air.

"Do we have a deal Allycat?"

"Well, how could I say 'no' to such nice threat?" He muttered.

"I owe you." She smiled before reaching up giving him a soft kiss on his cheek before leaving him blushing profoundly as the gates of Denerim loomed above their heads.

~•~

The bard had always thought Marjolaine had left her alone after they parted, but Marjolaine could do no such thing. She told the maleficar she paid for the contract that it was to keep an eye on a potential threat, but even though she never fully admitted it to herself she knew it was a little more than that behind her decision to keep an eye on the bard. The curse followed the bard like a tail, showing Marjolaine her every step. At first Leliana had done nothing, barely getting out of bed for food. She had stayed with the Chantry in a Maker forsaken town. _How ironic_. Marjolaine thought to herself. Leliana was never one for such lunacy as the Maker. In fact she used to frown upon those who worshipped the Chant. The bard had stayed with the Chantry for quite sometime and Marjolaine found herself beginning to wonder if Leliana was planning something hiding behind a cover as a sister. She was beginning to discard the thought when something had happened. The bard had suddenly decided to leave the Chantry at the very same time as these Grey Wardens had arrived at the small town. Surely this could not be a coincidence. No, Marjolaine knew that there was no such thing as coincidences. But why did Leliana leave with the Grey Wardens? Marjolaine wondered. Had she finally decided to avenge her? Had the time come for when her former student and lover would come after her? Marjolaine had kept following the bard until a week ago when the curse had been broken. It could only mean one thing. Her maleficar was dead and someone must know about the contract and that someone could only be one person.

Lifting her gaze she followed the blood-red hair moving through the crowd. Pushing across the marketplace a smile grew on her face. She had known the bard would come here and she thrived in the fact that she still knew Leliana so well. The bard was barely and arm's length away from her. Reaching for the familiar shoulder a white-skinned elf pushed in-between them seemingly out of nowhere blocking her way. The elf towered above her ominously not moving an inch. Marjolaine tried to side step the elf and follow the bard, but the elf shadowed her movement.

"I think it's time for you to stop following her." The elf snarled dangerously something wicked and sinister burning behind her eyes.

Marjolaine studied her face before turning around. Assessing the new situation she could feel the rush of excitement build. Stalking off she felt the elf's peculiar eyes burn on her back as she once again became one with the crowd. The game was about to begin.

~•~

Leliana gritted her teeth where she crouched below the thick window-ledge sliding the thin picking tool from her waist to pick the locked window to Brother Genitivi's house. When they had tried to find him earlier that night his assistant Weylon had remained adamant that Genitivi was not to be found here, although when Deanna asked if they could look around his house for any clues Weylon had refused shouting for them to get out and leave his sacred home be. Instead they had simply snuck around the corner to see it they could get in another way.

The rain rattled hard against the cobblestones and she blinked away little droplets from her eyelashes. All the companions had seemed miserable in the rain, their cloaks soaking wet. Everyone save the seductress who pranced around in the rain, arms wide open wearing a big smile on her face. It was the second time Leliana had seen the seductress enjoy the rain. She frowned. She had never met anyone who seemed to love the rain as much as Sin did. She smiled at the sight of the elf though forgetting to pick the lock for a slight moment.

The others had been sent away by the elf who complained their stealth ability was as good as an army of ogres. Alistair had agreed they should go make sure that the Gnawed Tavern was safe to stay at for the night. Deanna's eyes had narrowed into two slits when Sin had dismissed the suggestion that Zevran stayed behind with them stating that two were just enough for the job and Alistair had pointed out that it would be better if Zevran circled the Gnawed Tavern making sure no one was following them. Deanna had agreed reluctantly before she and the others headed towards the tavern. Leliana thought she saw Sin and Alistair exchange knowing nods, but dismissed the thought that the two of them would actually get along.

Feeling the familiar click of the lock as it snapped open she signalled with her left hand for the elf that the coast was clear. Turning around when Sin still hadn't come she saw the elf squatting lazily in the rain.

"Psst!" She hissed in annoyance at the seductress who seemed to be doing anything but paying attention to her where she stood signalling. Sin lifted her head looking at her with her sultry smile before walking up to her.

"So much for being discrete." The bard muttered rolling her eyes at the seductress who stalked up towards her grinning widely. "I see you like the rain."

"You have no idea…" Sin mumbled before turning to face her.

"So you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

"T-there's nothing bothering me…" Leliana tried to slither.

"Did you know that you pick your belt every time you lie?" Sin asked flatly.

"I…" The bard removed her fingers that were picking nervously at her belt. Sin turned to her smirking.

"Why do you like the rain so much?"

"Why are you changing the subject?" Sin moved closer.

"Why are you so persistent?" Leliana retorted defensively.

"I like the rain because it makes me feel free and I want to know because I…like you." The elf stated matter-of-factly.

Leliana smiled slapping Sin's arm. "You're trying to use you charm on me to get me to talk."

"I could just use my magic." Sin grinned at the bard.

"You wouldn't!" Leliana gasped.

Sin's eyes grew mischievous. "Are you sure about that?" Sin said letting her finger slip across Leliana's jaw line.

A smile tugged at Leliana's lips and she shoved Sin playfully in her chest causing the elf to nearly bump into her as she swayed back and forth on her heels. Sin broke the sway with her hands leaning in towards the bard, steadying herself with her hands pressed against the wet wall.

Leliana felt her heart slow, each and every heartbeat reverberating through her chest as Sinniralin's peculiar blue eyes found hers. She could feel Sin's hot breath against her face. Her lips so close to the Sin's were her lips to quiver the slightest their lips would brush tenderly against each other. Sinniralin studied her, looming close to her body with her own. It was the first time since Sin had joined them that she was this close, looking at her, _seeing_ her. Leliana could feel her breathing quicken, her heart starting to thump wildly as she placed her hand on the elf's cold, wet cheek. Sinniralin's lips were inviting her, her eyes searching the bard's own steel-grey for permission. The familiar sensation tugged at Leliana's chest this time stronger than before mixing and merging with the elf's. Could Sin feel it to? Looking into the seductress' eyes, feeling Sinniralin gently grab her waist pulling her closer Leliana knew that she could.

The sharp crack of a whip flying through the air cut through the night. The bard, still dazed from the strong connection, hardly had time to recognize the sound before Sin clasped at the leather whip twisted around her neck. Then a rough jerk sent her hurling backwards landing with a loud crash.

"Run!" She tried to shout to the bard as she was dragged along the hard cobblestone grabbing at the whip gasping for air.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: **I know I haven't said it for a while, but everything you recognize: names, places, objects, etc belongs to BioWare, everything else is a figment of my imagination.

**AN. **Say whaaaaaat? Oh noes! What _is _going on?

Thank you ALL for the reviews that keeps on coming making my day AND helping me develop this story, reminding me of things I need to think about. Thank you!

And a little reminder to please forgive me my typos and any grammatical errors. Having no beta-reader kind of odes that to my texts. lol

I know I told most of you I'd update this Sunday at the latest, but fell ill with a fever and was too tired to even get out of bed and my laptop is broken so alas, no update until this morning. :) I hope you can forgive me. :)

Btw, I'd like to ask and would love for all of you who read and who can to reply to this question I have: Do you think there is need for more femslash fantasy novels to be published? Would you buy a femslash fantasy book if they sold it in your bookstore?

Would be grateful for anyone who wants to answer those questions. :)

I hope you liked the update. See you soon!

~Elmjuniper


	17. Search And Destroy

**SEARCH AND DESTROY**

THE VANGUARDS STEPPED OUT FROM the dark alleyway. Their heavy armour reflecting the full moon's eerie light.

"It's her, The Lady will be happy to see this." One of the guards said.

Leliana saw him kick the elf with full force sending her sprawling, crashing into the alleyway's thick stone wall. She landed on a pair of wooden barrels that splintered underneath her along with an unpleasant crack from Sinniralin's ribs. The guard tugged at the whip dragging Sin's lifeless body along the rough surface.

"Stop it! You're suffocating her!" The bard screamed before she could think the better of it.

The guards turned around, six pair of cold eyes sizing her up. The leader snorted when he saw her.

"Just take the girl as well."

Two of the vanguards advanced on her, swords and shields raised in their hands. The bard drew her daggers positioning herself in a defensive stance. Two guards. She had taken on worse than that the last couple of months and she nodded confidently to herself. She could do this. They had taken Sinniralin and they would regret it.

The first guard charged at her. She was surprised at the speed considering his heavy armour, but dodged him effortlessly. Jabbing her daggers at his legs she missed and they clanked against the heavily armoured leg. She turned quickly cursing under her breath as she sped towards him, flying through the night air like one of her deadly arrows waters spraying from her boots. The vanguard swung his sword at her, but she merely ducked blocking the second vanguard's sword with her daggers. She moved swiftly across the small street slashing at the guards, her blades flashing in the moonlight. The second guard clasped at his throat after her sharp blades had drawn a thin red line across the thick throat. She was hurtling towards the other vanguard when she saw the leader swing his iron boot towards the elf's head. A blow from that boot with enough force would kill her!

"Noo!" She yelled as she changed direction throwing one of her daggers at the leader, aiming for his neck. The world seemed to slow down as the dagger flew towards him, his boot swinging towards Sin's head. Leliana saw in terror how a fourth hidden guard stepped out from the shadows, throwing his shield into the air, the dagger bouncing off it like a small pebble. Then the leaders boot connected with Sin's head. Something was wrong, these were no normal guards! Leliana could hear Sin whimper feebly and she felt her whole world sway before someone hit her over the back of her head.

~•~

_"Ellie darling, mother's going to tell you a story and I want you to remember this one so that you may tell it too one day. Can you promise me that you will?"_

_She nods solemnly at her mother who smiles in response, flattening the woollen blanket on top of her before she starts humming softly, her voice carrying the tune perfectly._

_"In a land long forgotten, far beyond meadows and marches lived the warrior Geraldes. Sworn against the enemy of evil, of sin he one day stumbled on a big silver locket, round in shape, strangest symbols etched into it. Picking it up to sell it for a good fist of gold, he put it around his neck. Darkness swirled to life, turning the poor man into its slave. The locket gave him strength and powers man could only dream of. Many sought to steal this powerful charm, others who saw the dark deeds he committed tried to stop him, but none succeeded. What man did not know was the Geraldes was no more a man than a demon was a bird for the locket was so strongly enchanted he was no longer in control of his own mind, but had become the Darkness' faithful servant. Geraldes -the slave of Darkness fought an endless war, no man, no creature able to stop him until the day when he stopped by the river. Fatigued and weary from decades of battle, from the Darkness tearing at his frail human body, the dark locket burning against his chest. The warrior fell to his knees, drinking of the water when the fair Erdira emerged from the river's bend. Erdira was as beautiful as she was kind hearted and though she had heard of this man engulfed by the Darkness she was not frightened when she saw him, but instead she wondered what troubles could have brought this wretched man here and so she sat down next to him, offering the man some of her bread. As he turned to look at her she saw he had no eyes, only hollow sockets burning with black fire. Still she did not fear him and as she touched his shoulder tears fell from the man's now visible brown eyes. For over six hundred years had he lived, not once since he put on the locket had someone dared to touch this dark man and as Erdiria's hand gently touched his shoulder the locket fell to the ground as did Geraldes, his body nothing but withered old bones. The locket was never to be found again, but some people say Erdira hid it somewhere no one would ever find it again so that the Darkness would be gone from the world until the end of time. It did not take strong warriors, or mages to defeat this man, this evil. It only took one woman who did not fear the Darkness. "_

_Her mother looks at her, pulling a strand of hair from her face as she kisses her forehead. _

"_Remember this Ellie. _Never _fear the dark, it cannot hurt you."_

~•~

Waking up Leliana found herself lying on the plush bed of a luxurious chamber. Four bedposts rose above her head, lavishly embellished with a beautifully carved pattern. Breathing slowly as to not alert her captor to that she had awaken she stayed still, eyes observing her surroundings from under half-lidded eyes, her ears straining for any sounds. Turning over in bed carefully as if asleep she gazed around the empty room before sitting up. Where was she? Where was Sin?

Crawling silently across the bed her mind reeled. What were those vanguards? They weren't like normal guards, these ones had used magic. She could feel it and what was it they wanted with Sin? She slid off the bed soundlessly landing on the thick carpet. Marjolaine had taught her many things, but her stealth was something she had learnt as a small girl running around Cecilie's estate trying not to disturb the grown ups. Marjolaine had merely taught her how to use it and when. Creeping across the carpet-clad floor towards the door she listened carefully for any movements outside, her heart thumping wildly, head throbbing with fear almost preventing her to move. Closing her eyes she grabbed the heavy metal ring on the door gently, putting some weight on it as she tried pulling the door open. It didn't budge.

"Blood and damnation." She muttered looking around the room. The picking tool she had used earlier had been dropped to the ground when Sinniralin had pulled her close. Leliana felt a pleasant shiver creep up her spine as she thought of the feel of the elf's strong, demanding hand on her hip, her body craving the elf's attention and the heat radiating from Sin's body.

Sinniralin. The charismatic, enchanting elf who had nearly kissed her. The woman that she -without a doubt in her heart, belonged to. Someone had taken Sin away from her. Years of suppressed wrath and passion swirled to life. Where ever they had taken her to she was going to find her.

Feeling the determination build up she moved silently towards the big painting hanging above the beautifully adorned vanity desk. Careful not to make any sound she reached for the heavy painting stumbling backwards as the thick copper wire it hung from snapped. Twisting her body she let the painting fall towards the bed landing on it with a soft thud.

"That was close." She muttered as she wedged the nails holding the wire in place out from the thick wooden frame.

"Not bad." The two nails made for a perfect picking tool. She slid it into the lock flicking her hand until she heard the satisfying click of the door unlocking.

Holding her breath she pulled the door open, ready to attack. The corridor laid quiet the dim light from the small oil lamps casting shadows along the walls. Listening carefully she crept out into the corridor almost sliding across the floor letting the shadows mask her presence. Turning at a corner she frowned. This estate was too quiet. Where was everyone?

The corridor ended abruptly at a brown door, golden strange signs carved into it. Throwing a quick glance across her shoulder she opened the door slowly stepping in to the opulent room.

"By the Maker..."

~•~

The rain poured down mercilessly on her where she hung, arms tied above her head, her feet barely reaching the cold ground.

The man stood in front of her, staring at her with cold eyes, the leather whip in his hands.

"So, this is the great Darkness, the Destroyer of Light." He stated.

"You sound disappointed." Sinniralin said from where she hung. One thing she had learnt was that no matter the situation _never _let your opponent know you have no idea of what was going on. A good guilder wouldn't have to talk her way out of things anyway, unless that was of course the chore.

The man's face remained unemotional. "We know what you are. We know why you are here."

"Well isn't that marvellous, then perhaps we unhinge me?" Sin slurred where she hung limply from her hands, her head throbbing madly, the ropes cutting into her wrists roughly. The man laughed, his cold laughter drawing forth memories long forgotten.

"I wonder...you have the Darkness within you, still you have yet to kill Sàbhailiche. Why haven't you killed the champion?"

"What?"

"You are nothing but an elf right now, I can sense you caging the Darkness or else it would have done its duty. Sàbhailiche would be dead, Thedas bowing before one ruler."

"Listen you crazy fool, I don't know what you're..."

The man gave a small nod then she heard the unmistakable hiss and crack of the thin leather whip as it tore through the cold rain. She barely had time to brace herself before the sharp whip connected with her back and she felt the instant cutting pain on her back as her skin split open. She screamed in surprise and pain, her body trying to twist out from the ropes.

"If you will not unleash the Darkness, then your death will do the deed." He said staring into her eyes.

Hot blood trickled from the gash on her back burning her wet, cold skin. She heaved, her head spinning from the pain when another lash sliced into her back. Her body shook, and her eyes swam with tears as pain took its recognition. She could see her linen tunic turn dark with her thick blood. The whip struck again and her pained shriek echoed across the yard.

"Please..." She whispered weakly.

_Ha'thet adir nach. _Let me out. The voices sang in her head as she fought to stay conscious, hanging on to the last thread of control. The wicked essence within her was too powerful. It threw itself against her mental barriers. Her mind reeled in frenzied fear, it was taking over! It drew its power from somewhere. It got stronger here, in the presence of this strange man.

"No..." She moaned as the first crack in her barriers appeared and the Darkness quickly slithered out from it, still crashing against it to widen it.

"You cannot stop it." The strange man persisted. There was something familiar about his voice and she pulled at it with her mind. Why did she recognize his voice? Her vision blurred and she blinked stubbornly in an effort to stay conscious. The way he moved. She knew this man somehow.

"You are so magnificent, yet so fragile. I thought you'd be more powerful than this." She felt his eyes scrutinize her where she hung.

"Who are you?" She whispered.

"I am an old friend, _Sinniralin_..."

She shuddered involuntary. He knew her name. She had slipped up again. Somehow these people knew of her, what she was, who she was. They had mentioned the same name as the voice in her head, Sàbhailiche. How could they all know about that name? About the bard. Clenching her jaws in determination she focused on keeping the Darkness in check. They wanted her to kill Sàbhailiche, the wanted her to kill Leliana. Why? Who was the bard? Why did she matter? Whatever the reason she wouldn't let that happen. She would rather be tortured for weeks than carry out the dark deed.

"Do your _best_." She wheezed through clenched jaws staring defiantly straight into his familiar eyes.

~•~

The room was oval, rows of benches creating a circle in the middle. Looking around it the bard realized the room could easily fit at least a hundred people. The same strange symbols she had seen on the door were carved into the dark wooden benches and on the walls hung large colourful paintings reminding the bard of linen curtains. Spinning slowly she felt a chill creep up her spine as she watched the illustrations on the wall. They seemed to depict something terrible. The first picture depicted a young child surrounded by this darkness, like a black mist. The third showed a high rising tower as a small figure fell towards the jagged rocks below the tower, pointing like spears up towards the sky. She moved on to the fourth painting. Red flames and a white light burst from a woman's chest as a white figure with a black shadow following it ripped at the woman's chest. The two figures had an eerie familiarity. She shuddered as she walked up to the middle of the room, her stomach churning in horror as she got closer to the shrine standing proudly in the centre of the room.

In the middle of the room stood a statue of Andraste kissing the feet of a woman. The woman held a staff in her hand and her face wore a cold, victorious sneer. Beneath the statue lay a scroll in the middle of what seemed to be some sort of offering. She felt her heart beat rapidly as she stepped closer to the strange shrine. A long dagger with a blade reminding the bard of a flame lay covered in dried blood on the shrine. Leaning over the shrine she read the first bit of the scroll before the sound of a door opening caught her attention. Grabbing the dagger in one hand and the scroll in her other she spun on her heels diving into the shadows. A hooded figure moved towards the shrine with slow, respectful steps. Whoever the figure was would surely notice the missing pieces from the shrine and sound the alarm, she couldn't let that happen, she had to find Sin first. Using the thick front of the bench behind her she shoot off from it with her feet burying her dagger in her enemy's neck. He slumped to the floor clasping at his throat, nothing but air wheezing out from his mouth. Towering above him she whispered silently.

"Maker have mercy on you." Then she clasped his head between her hands and wrung it. His neck snapped with an unpleasant sound and he fell into a lifeless heap as she let him go. Grabbing his robes she dragged him to the back row of the benches, rolling in him underneath it then she slipped on the robe pulling her hood up. This place was dangerous, she had to get Sin out and this man just made it a little it easier for her. Tucking the scroll into her boot she left the eerie room behind as a blood curling scream reached her ears.

"Sin!" She would have recognized her voice from miles away, but she sounded near. Staring wildly about her she ran back the way she had come turning at another corner, speeding up as the screaming continued. _What are they doing?_ Finding another door she jerked it open ready to attack but it lead to an empty stairway. She could no longer hear the elf, but something pulled her up the stairs. An image of some sort of terrace flashed before her eyes, just like it had in her earlier visions from the Maker. She nodded to herself before sprinting up the stairs.

The stairs ran up, and round and round seemingly forever until she could see the entrance. Catching her breath she opened the door and darted to the side behind three large barrels. Pulling out her stolen dagger she carefully glanced across the large terrace taking great care not to be noticed.

Sin's body hung lifeless from the ropes blood pouring down her back. She was surrounded by a small crowd of these strange followers watching the woman standing behind Sin as her hand holding the whip was raised above her head before she used the force of her whole arm to flog the elf's back with the whip. Sin's body thrashed in the ropes muffled cries slipping across her lips. The bard covered her mouth with her hands as to choke a scream, tears streaming down her face. She was frightened. She could not save Sin anymore than herself. All this darkness in this place, how could she not fear it? What these people did, the shrine, it scared her. These people were not the Maker's shepherds, but someone else's, someone wicked. This whole place was surrounded by it, draped in its darkness. Marjolaine and Raleigh had been right, she _was _weak! She couldn't even find the courage to stand up for the woman she… A soft voice rang in her mind, soothing her. _"Remember this Ellie. _Never _fear the dark, it cannot hurt you." _Closing her eyes taking a deep breath she focused on her hands holding the dagger.

"It cannot hurt me." And with that she bolted out from her hiding place. She hit the first follower before anyone noticed she was there, the woman's body fell lifeless to the wet ground. The others quickly turned around staring at the woman. The bard had once again hidden the dagger in the robes' wide sleeve, her hood pulled up to cover her face and she turned like the others staring at the woman.

"What happened?" The man standing in front of Sinniralin where she hung pushed his way through the group of followers. Leliana mimicked the others taking a step backwards as he brushed past her, melting in with the crowd.

"_Who_ did this?" He yelled in fury as he stood up. "Hivara! Search this crowd, someone's a traitor!" He shouted and the woman holding the whip quickly pushed to the first few followers yanking their hoods off.

As all of the followers and their leaders were busy with staring at the dead woman no one noticed how the bard quickly whisked out her dagger back stabbing the man standing next to her before she slid back into the small crowd as he crumpled to the ground. Again she did what the others did now slipping back to the crowd of followers who had already been questioned by Hivara. No one around her seemed to notice her where she eased closer to Sin. The man was livid shouting for healers, ordering followers around as she came up to stand next to the elf. Slipping her into hand in Sin's leather boot she hoped the elf had had some sense and kept a spare dagger in it. As she felt the cold leather of the hilt she whispered a thankful prayer to the Maker. She watched the man. It was he who had captured Sin and obviously these people followed him. He would make a good distraction. _He _did this to Sin. Turning to face him, her head still bent low just like the rest of the followers she saw him rise from his squat. Feeling like time slowed she raised her head staring him dead in the eye before releasing the dagger she had found in Sin's boot. His eyes widened in surprise and shock as the small dagger buried itself between his eyes.

The followers and Hivara screamed in horror rushing towards him as the bard swung her dagger at Sin's ropes, the robe billowing behind her in a fluid motion as she cut the ropes holding the elf. Catching the half unconscious elf in her arm she grimaced as her arm rubbed roughly against her flogged back. Gritting her teeth she dragged the elf along with her running towards the ledge of the balcony. Sin awoke slightly moaning in pain.

"Ssh." She hushed the elf who obliged. "This is going to hurt, but do not scream." She whispered as she pulled Sinniralin up onto the ledge with her. Below them roared the Amaranthine Ocean's wild waters.

"She!" Hivara screamed pointing at her where she stood on the ledge as the followers turned around their hands burning with magic.

"Not the water. Please." Sin gasped, her whole body shaking fiercely.

"I'm sorry darling, but this really isn't up for discussion." And with that she pulled the elf with her as she pushed out from the rim of the terrace plunging towards the dark surface.

They landed with a painful splash the angry waters pulling them outwards. Using all of her strength she pulled the elf with her towards the docks further away. Sin kicked weakly next to her gulping fists of water. _Hold on_. She wanted to tell Sin. _Stay with me_. But there was no time to speak. Not until they reached the docks. Feeling her muscles cramp she closed her eyes kicking against the water.

Coughing and spluttering she dragged the lifeless elf onto the shore. She wasn't breathing. She tried breathing life into her again, but the elf remained still, her chest still not rising and falling as it should.

"Sin." She shook the elf.

"Sinniralin." Feeling the panic creep up on her she shook the elf harder. "Please!"

Pulling her into her arms she tried slapping her face, her tears falling like raindrops onto the elf's fair face. "Come on Sin. Please. _Please…"_

_._

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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**AN. **I am so VERY sorry for this taking so long, I've been stuck in a sort of funk where I couldn't write, probably because it's been stressful at work so I've had to chill out by reading lots of other lovely fanfics. ;) Also… I did something as nerdy as make a Dragon Age video. I _know _I'm a neeerd! Lol but if you do want to check it out you can go to my profile here and follow the link. ;)

I want to thank my trusty followers and reviewers: Trystan438, Nightwish11606, StarKrazy, izzy30 and jugalettePENNE. Thank you all for your reviews and for helping me get my butt in to that chair and write. ;)

And of course a huge thank you to all of you who read, review, subscribe, add to faves etc etc. I know there are a few of you who aren't actual members her on ff-net, so if you want to know when I update a story you can find and add me on Twitter (Elmjuniper). I'll post updates about this project and the other ones I have and my books. So all of you lovely readers are more than welcome to add me.

Enough babbling, I hope you liked the update. If you do, please review (that kind of rhymes).

Take care!

~Elmjuniper


	18. When Memories Fade Into Emptiness

**DISCLAIMER: **Bioware owns everything, even my soul, but not my heart or Sin. My heart belongs to my beautiful fiancée and Sin, well she's mine. Well, and then everything else you don't recognize from the game.

**AN. **As always big fat thank you to all of you who reviewed, read, faved, subscribed etc. You all make my day you wonderful, wonderful people. ;)

I'm really, really sorry this chapter has taken so long. I've been distracted by this wonderful girl of mine. ;)

Thank you Nightwish11606 darling for coming up with the name Tura.

Aaanyway, I hope you like the chapter!

Till next time, take care!

~Elmjuniper

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~•~

**WHEN MEMORIES FADES INTO EMPTINESS**

_SÀBHAILICHE WILL SAVE MILLEADAIR THE Destroyer or condemn him. – Scrolls of Tura_

~•~

Cold. Cold water surrounded her, the impenetrable darkness of the water pressing against her battered body as she sunk deeper and deeper, gulping fists of water in a desperate attempt to breathe. The waves ripped at her wounds, blood and water blending like tiny swirls, the bottomless depth of Amaranthine ocean's sucking her towards the earth's core. She let herself be dragged down. Her heavy body limp and lifeless. Then someone grabbed her by her wrist pulling her back towards the distant surface.

They broke the surface Sin's lunges screaming for air. Her ears pounding and head throbbing, the strong Amaranthine currents pulling them outwards towards the vast and endless ocean, the waves crashing down on them, their angry roar deafening them to each other. The bard kicked underneath her with determination as she pulled Sin along with her through the thick waters. Little black dots swam in front of her eyes growing larger and larger melding into a wholesome darkness surrounding her. She fought back desperately, willing herself to stay conscious gulping more water as the storm tossed them like helpless debris between the strong, high rising waves. She could feel the bard's kicking grow weaker, the cold from the coarse water penetrating her very bones. She would not make it. Not this time.

Leliana struggled underneath her pulling, kicking, yanking Sin along. The elf swallowed another fistful of water. _ Let me go! _She wanted to tell the bard. She wasn't going to survive and Leliana had a bigger chance of surviving if she left her behind. _Leave me! _She screamed inwardly, but Leliana held her in a firm grip, the heat from her body seemingly melding them together. Clinging to the warmth, gripping on to it she felt herself slowly burn out. Darkness. Sweet relief. It drew her in bathed her in its serenity, stripping her of her fears. It was so welcoming, so warm reminding her of home. She wanted to stay here.

She felt an abrupt pain jolt through her body as she was being pulled abruptly back to life by soft lips pressed tightly to hers, air was once again granted her aching lungs.

"Sin." Nimble, soft hands willed her back to reality.

"Sin please wake up." Something soft muzzled her neck as someone muttered. "Is this you doing a runner on me? That's not very chivalrous of you..."

The intense pain came crashing down on her like a ton of Orzammar stones and she groaned in discomfort. "By Andraste's saggy tits..." She whispered weakly.

"Hey you..."

She opened her eyes staring into the bard's worried eyes, millions of thoughts and feelings swirling in the grey of her iris. If she was to come back for life for just this single moment it would be all worth it.

"We need to get you to Wynne." Leliana was cradling her protectively.

"No, I'm fine…" She tried to lie, but gasped midsentence from the stabbing pain in her back, her head throbbing with such force she thought it might explode. Her whole body ached and for the first time since that day in the tower she felt powerless, helpless.

"Sinniralin darling, your skull is cracked, your back..." The bard's voice quivered.

"Hey..." She smiled where she lay, Leliana's arms wrapped around her, her saddened face close to hers. A feeling of security settled despite their desperate situation. "Don't worry. It looks much worse than it is...I'm just a big baby."

"I'm taking you to Wynne and you can't stop me." Leliana said determinedly as she slowly helped her up. Sin felt her surroundings spin madly feeling as if she would faint again. Vomiting from the pain before nearly stooping to the ground the strong bard held her up firmly.

She didn't remember much more than Leliana dragging her along narrow alleyways, just flashes of images of them fleeing across the wet cobblestones and through the marketplace. The bard didn't care for subtlety, but bolted through they city not caring for guards or the occasional street urchin. Both Belkin and Glub would shake their heads in disapproval she thought dizzily where she tried to stay conscious.

~•~

"Young lady you have an incredible knack of getting yourself hurt." Wynne's motherly voice chided her when she stirred to life in the big bed.

The pain was unbearable and she whimpered feebly. "Blasted rain and blood and damnation and…Andraste's hairy ass." She cursed, her hand carefully clasping her forehead as she tried to sit up.

The bard smiled from the chair she was sitting in, knees pulled up to her chest her slim arms hugging them, chin resting on the top of her knees.

"And you tried to kiss me with that mouth." She said softly the group of companions' heads snapping towards her in shock, the witch's golden eyes turning into two slits, the teryness face wearing an angry expression, Zevran's eyes gleaming with happy, happy thoughts.

"I did...not! I was simply trying to hide us from the guards." Sin retorted a little too defensively for any of the companions to believe her.

"Call it what you will seductress." Leliana said, now weighing on her chair smirking mischievously causing Deanna to push to her feet storming out the room before slamming the door angrily. The companions stared in surprise at each other the bard's suddenly looking forlorn. Sin grunted.

"Why are you _all _here? You think this is some sort of social gathering? Be off with you all!"

They all stood to leave except for Wynne who simply remained where she was ignoring the seductress' hostile glare.

"I know you're in pain Sin." She said. "But you're being insufferably obnoxious." She filled in before leaning back into her chair closing her eyes.

"You would be too if you were in this pain." Sin muttered, secretly enjoying being taken care of.

"How did I get here?" She finally asked.

"The bard came stumbling in here with you bleeding and vomiting three nights ago." Wynne explained.

"What happened out there?" She remembered only fragments of what had happened tree nights ago.

"I don't know all the details. You should ask Leliana about that."

"Could you please ask her to come back?" Sin asked sheepishly.

"Are you going to try to kiss her? I warn you, you are in no shape to be doing such thing." The mage said.

Was that a smile Sin could see on the enchantress' lips?

"I won't."

"She hasn't left this room since she came stumbling in here with you." Wynne said as she rose from her chair.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

Sin felt herself blush. She remembered how the bard had stared into her eyes, placing her soft hand on her cheek. Sin had wanted to kiss her then, responding to the strange pulsating vibrations she felt drift from Leliana, her whole body had longed for the bard's body, as if it was a missing piece of herself. But could it be really possible that…Leliana felt the same?

"Why was Leliana here all the time?"

Wynne chuckled amusedly. "That my dear girl you have to figure out on yourself."

Sin huffed. _You old bat of a mage!_ She muttered inaudibly and rolled over so that her back was facing the mage, but when she was certain Wynne couldn't see her she smiled to herself. The old enchantress had become the closest thing she had to a mother and she liked how Wynne was not afraid to speak her mind with her and the enchantress possessed magical skills and knowledge that reached beyond Sin's own. Sin knew Deanna thought that the grey haired enchantress was a bit of a nag, but even the blonde teryness had to admit one could always feel the warmth of Wynne's kind-hearted, motherly personality.

Chewing her lips a fleeting thought crossed her mind. No matter how much she liked this small group of companions, the motherly mage, the brother-like Allycat, the fair teryness, the begrudging Quanari, the charming, suave Antivan and...Leliana, Sin knew she was a danger to them all. As much as she had wanted to kiss Leliana…it was wrong, selfish. Even the mage would think so. There was no place for…love? No, not during times like these and not for someone like Sin.

"Wynne?"

"Yes?" the enchantress turned around.

"I feel tired, I'll talk to Leliana later." She said feeling her heart grow icy cold a feeling of emptiness settling. She forced away the thick lump growing in her throat. Whatever the darkness inside her was, one thing was clear to her. She could no longer have the things others had. Most importantly, she could not have…Leliana.

~•~

She huddled underneath the thick branches of a fir tree, her cloak pulled tightly around her to keep the cold of the night out as she wept silently. She had hid in the secret pocket of the wall for a good few hours before she had dared crawl out from it clinging on to the lifeless body of the man she had called father. She had wanted to scream when Glub had been pierced by the thick blade of the soldier's great sword, but she knew better than that. She knew Glub would have sacrificed himself for nothing if she did that. So instead she covered her ears and closed her eyes crawling into a small ball.

The man's voice cut through the empty dungeons, slipping between the thin cracks of her fingers.

"You will never speak of what you saw here old friend." Then Glub's scream filled her head as the man cut out the large man's tongue leaving him in a pool of his own blood.

She wiped her nose with the long sleeve of her linen tunic. It was dark blue with fine white broidery on it. Her mother had made it for her only days before she had gone off to Denerim. She sobbed quietly not because she was frightened or scared, but because for the first time she understood that she was truly alone. Mother was gone. Glub was gone. There was no one else. She despaired where she sat, cold and miserable. She could use a spell to light a fire or to keep her hands warm, but it would only alert nearby animals preying for food. This much she had learnt from the members of the guild, her family. She hid her face in the bend of her arm. The guild was gone now.

It had started when the teryn of Highever had been murdered. Kih'on and Fala hadn't come home that night, neither had Bróm or Elisaíd. She had been frightened that night, by all the yelling and screaming, but Glub had told her to be brave and that so long as they stayed in the lair they would be safe. He sent some of the family away through the tunnels telling them to find the other safe houses spread across Ferelden. He tried to send her away with Lughaidh, but she refused. If mother came back for them she needed to be there, besides she wouldn't leave Glub on his own. He had laughed and shook his head, but made her promise if things turned bad she would follow his command no matter what. The rest of the family had been wiped out by the strange man and his soldiers when they had come for her. She chewed her lip. Why? Why did they want her?

She pulled her knees up towards her chest. She had done what Glub had told her. She had used the tunnels just like Glub and mother had taught her to and she had fled south just like mother had instructed her.

"_Then, where do you go?"_

"_To find the Dalish?"_

"_Yes baby, to find the Dalish." _

She tried rocking a little back and forth to keep herself warm where she sat. The road was going to be long, but she remembered it well from last time, and mother had taught her what signs to look for. And then there was the messenger bird Glub had released before stuffing her in the wall pocket. It should have reached the tribe. Someone should be looking for her as well. _Someone_. But not mother or Glub. She thought to herself miserably before crawling into a small ball sobbing quietly, the memories of mother and Glub, of the guild, of her family fading into nothing but emptiness the surrounding dark the only thing that remained.

~•~

Leliana fiddled the silver charm she held in her hand. It was slightly heavier than she would have imagined it to be and she could feel a sense of oppressed darkness radiate from it where she walked. Looking up her eyes fell on the familiar brown of silky hair. She stopped in her tracks blinking once just to find the marketplace empty of anything reminding her of her former mentor. She shivered slightly at the thought of running into Marjolaine and quickened her steps.

Pushing up the door to Wonders of Thedas a wave of faint incense greeted her and she smiled as the opulent store revealed itself. Shelves filled with books ran along the walls, some of the books lay scattered in a lazy manner across the store and nothing but the low murmuring of burning candles and books being opened and flicked through could be heard through out the dim lit, large room. It had been a long time ago since she last visited this place and she found she easily settled into the quietness again.

Walking up to the large counter she saw one of the Tranquils standing behind it. The tranquil proprietor greeted her with his monotonous voice, his eyes indifferent and absent of any emotion.

"Hello." She greeted the tranquil as she drew nearer.

"Hello." He answered in that absent voice the Tranquils spoke in.

"I was wondering if you could take a look at this charm." She placed the locket on the counter.

The tranquil looked at it with his uninterested eyes before picking it up studying it closely.

"This is the amulet of Tes'Hathr." He said, blinking before putting the amulet back on top of the counter.

The bard frowned. Tes'Hathr? She had never heard of this name before. Perhaps it was some sort of elvish deity. The Tranquil left his place behind the counter disappearing behind the rows of bookshelves leaving the bard to ponder. She had had the vision of her mother the other night for a reason. This charm wasn't just any charm, she could feel its powers pressing against her hand. Couldn't the Tranquil feel it?

The Tranquil returned with a book in his hands. "In this book you may read of Tes'Hathr." And with the he returned to his chores ignoring her.

The bard pulled the book closer, tip toeing slightly where she stood as she let her eyes sweep through the heavily worded pages. Witches, demons, dark spawns, dragons, and Hallas. She flicked through the pages impatiently until she came to a small picture. Neatly written underneath the picture was a short text: _Tes'Hathr – Creator of Old Gods. Also know as the Maker's fallen brother. Sources speak of twin souls._ _Father of Andraste and Aithne according to several sources._

Andraste had a sister? She had never heard of such thing. Her mind flashed back to the statue in the strange room on the altar and she felt a chill creep up her spine. Letting her eyes fall on the picture and she shuddered. The illustration was richly detailed, a man's square face and determined eyes staring up at her. His left side was handsome, the brown eye seemed to penetrate her with its authoritarian and patient stare, yet there was something soft and gentle about him. She let her eyes trail over to the other half of the face. Just as handsome, but with and edge of some sort, his features alluring and enticing. The hair was not short cropped as on the other half but long and unruly, dark wavy hair framing the milky-white skin. There was a certain fire in this eye, full of defiance, and vengeance. There was a certain eerie familiarity about the second half of the face.

"Is this...all there is?" She asked looking up from the thick book, trying not to sound disappointed.

The tranquil looked up from the pile of parchments he was organizing. "There is much more in here to read as you may well see." He answered gesturing towards the fully stacked bookshelves.

"Uhm..." She started before realizing there was no point in trying to explain what she meant. If there was something more about this mysterious Tes'Hathr in any of these books the Tranquil would have given it to her. Closing the book carefully she nodded a quick good bye before turning to leave. She would have liked to stay longer, taken her time to browse through the seemingly endless rows of books. In Lady Cecilie's estate there had been a large library. She used to walk around in it the tips of her fingers slipping gently across the backs of the books. When she was too little to read she did it just because she liked the feel of the soft leather underneath her fingertips and when she was older because it helped her know which books she had already read. She shook her head regretfully. A lot of things had changed since that night and whether she liked it or nor, life had brought her here for another reason than remembering her past.

Pushing the door open the bustling from the crowded market place and the early morning sun's gentle rays swirled gingerly in through the small crack. She pulled to a stop before leaving turning towards the Tranquil who stood dusting off a pile of books next to her.

"Excuse me…" She said carefully.

He lifted his head greeting her with a timid nod. "Yes?"

"Have you ever heard of Sàbhailiche?"

He frowned something strange flashing behind his eyes before it was gone. He seemed different from the other Tranquils she had interacted with.

"No. I have never heard of it. Now if you excuse me." He said before turning his back on her to continue with his monotonous dusting of books.

Narrowing her eyes slightly she pushed through the door scurrying across the small alleyway back to the Gnawed Tavern. The Tranquils obviously knew nothing of this strange charm, but maybe…her eyes fell on the witch as she walked inside the dingy tavern.

Morrigan was wearing her usual attire of shredded fabric and skin tight leather. Oh, she did not mind the skin the witch was showing, in fact she quite liked it. Morrigan was the only one – apart from the alluring elf, who didn't wear war attire, but simple clothes. Leliana supposed none of them needed it. They were both so powerful and magnificent, Morrigan with her fast flying spells and quick mind and Sin with her arrogant attitude and undeniable powers. The two of them were more lethal than a quick assassin bard, especially the elven Guilder. People were drawn to the two of them. Leliana had seen the way peoples' heads turned to stare at them whenever the entered a room. Not just because they were more than fairly good looking, but because their presence radiated a strange sort of dangerous power.

"Hello…" she said sweetly placing herself next to the witch who gave her an angry glare where she sat highly uncomfortable at the lack of personal space.

"Please tell me why you are harassing me bard." Morrigan said in her characteristically cold tone as she let her magic warm the lukewarm soup she had been served.

"You are very powerful, are you not?" Leliana said softly giving the witch an innocent look.

Morrigan scoffed. "Flattery will get you anywhere." She muttered letting the bard know she knew what she was doing.

Keeping her face she handed the witch the charm. _I must be losing my touch_...

"What is this?" Morrigan twisted the charm eyeing it suspiciously.

"I was hoping you could maybe tell _me_." Leliana answered honestly.

"'Tis a charm." Morrigan offered lazily putting it down on the table, although Leliana could see the flicker of interest in the witch's eyes.

"Yes of course." She chuckled. "But what _kind_ of charm? No one has been able to figure it out." Leliana grinned inwardly as she knew this would surely work on the proud, self asserted witch.

She huffed. "'Tis not a normal charm." She stroked it with her fingers concentrating on it when she yelped suddenly, releasing it looking as if she had been stung by something. She stood up rubbing her hands.

"What happened? Are you alright?" The bard stared at her.

"I…am fine." Her eyes narrowed as she sat down again peering closer at the charm. "I am sure I have read something about a charm like this one in mother's grimoire."

"Look." Leliana pointed at the charm. "You did something to it." The charm had been sealed shut, but a thin crack was visible on its side after the witch's little toss. Picking it up the bard tried to pry it open with her fingers, but it did not budge.

"Strange." She muttered as she tried once more.

"Here." Morrigan handed her a knife her face now intrigued and full of curiosity.

Wedging the tip into the small crack the bard wiggled the knife using all her strength. She grunted in annoyance when it remained shut.

"That's not going to work. It's sealed shut with magic. Let me try something." Morrigan hissed her hand now burning with magic.

"No!" Leliana wheezed through her clenched jaws. "There are templars here, they'll see you!"

"Like they haven't already." Morrigan muttered as she let her magic reach out and wrap itself around the charm. Tiny sparks bounced off it and it remained locked.

"Try doing that as I use this damned knife to pry it open." Leliana suggested earning herself a hostile glare from the witch.

"Do you _want _to lose your hand?" She asked in annoyance.

"No." The bard answered before adding sternly. "So you'll just have to prove me how good you are. I mean if you _can _do it." Taunting the witch. A bold move she thought, but it would work.

"Watch and learn bard." Narrowing her eyes, concentrating she aimed her powerful spell towards the small crack. The spell would cause more damage than a great sword, but only in the slit where Leliana's knife was wedged into so that it wouldn't cause the bard any unpleasantness. "Now." She ordered Leliana who pried the charm with all her might. Morrigan's spell hit it and it flew up high in the air before landing with a loud clank on the wooden table.

"'Tis impossible!" The witch raged before blasting the charm with a spell. It shot from both her hands burning a hole in the table as flames and smoke rose from the spell.

The tavern was filled with frightened screams and upset roars, people pushing to their feet fleeing towards the door as mail clad soldiers tried to make their way through the small door. The bard jumped to her feet just in time to avoid the high rising flames watching the witch shrug at the commotion around them as she picked up the locket grinning widely.

"Never doubt me again _Sister_." She purred tossing the unlocked charm to the bard who caught it easily before nodding towards the door. "Although, I think I might have caused us some unwanted attention."

Leliana turned her head towards the entrance.

"That means _go_!" Morrigan hissed grabbing her by the back of her leather armour as she took off towards the elf's room.

~•~

She was tired and her clothes soaked from the endless drizzle that covered the sky. She had tried to duck in under the shrubbery at first, but found that when she brushed against the twigs and branches the green leaves sent a downpour of water on her. She silently whished she had brought the tar-coated cloak mother had given her for weather like this. Pulling her cloak closer she gritted her teeth as she pushed on.

She let her eyes trail the ground looking for any plants or roots she could eat. She hadn't eaten since the day before Glub had died and she had fled through the tunnels, and she was hungry. She saw a hare flee as it heard her small feet thud across the mossy ground. She wrinkled her nose. No she wasn't quite that hungry. _Not yet_.

The forest grew darker and the further in she ventured the closer together the trees and bushes grew. Large boulders covered in deep green, thick moss lay scattered across the murky ground looking as if giants had swept past strewing them across the ground like small pebbles. Fern pushed up from the green moist moss in various places reminding her of tiny soldiers bowing before their king.

She picked up a thick stick from the ground using it as cane pretending she was old like that man she had once seen in Highever. He had been _old _and had used a fancy cane with a horse head made out of bronze for a handle. It had looked very pretty. He wasn't one of the nobles though. A highborn or a noble would have the handle made out of gold and not bronze. This man was probably just a successful merchant. She smiled to herself. Glub had been impressed when she pointed this out to him and even mother had gloated at her eye for details. The nobles…the nobles were the ones to order the chores from her mother. Glub and mother had thought she wasn't old enough to understand. They had both been wrong. She knew everything. Mother had said she would explain everything when she was older, but she was old enough! Why didn't they understand?

She looked at her hands as magic overtook them, her feelings intensifying, overwhelming her. Why couldn't they see? Her hands burst aflame as the pure magic exploded from her body, sapphire flames shooting from her chest. Pulling at the warm, familiar feeling she let the magic bounce between her hands as she regained control of it. Why couldn't they see she was just like mother?

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	19. There Be Demons Around

**Disclaimer: **In case anyone thought anything else, Dragon Age and all its characters belong to the wonderful, amazing Bioware. Everything else is my fabulous mind going wild. ;)

**A/N:** So...yeah...what the hell happened?! I just kind of disappeared. Well, life, shit and fuckups happened and my muse flipped me the finger and took off leaving me with a writer's block from hell. I've tried to write, but anything that came out was just poor quality and I couldn't publish it and still be proud of this fanfic. But, here comes winter and Christmas and lots of love from friends and family and an amazing woman who pushes me to work harder, encourages me and makes me believe I can do anything I set my mind to. Also a mail from a reader gave me the final kick in the butt I needed and I have been writing like a madwoman ever since. Ok, enough, I know you don't want to hear about me, but here it is, the next chapter of To The Edge of The Earth! I do hope you all enjoy and I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I'm already working on the next chapter so I promise that this time you won't have to wait a year and a half for the next update. ;) As per usual, I have no beta [my lady has offered, but is super swamped with stuff so I don't want to add more, plus if she's betaing that means less time for us to play WoW on. ;)], English isn't my first language, so please bear with any grammatical errors and typos, I've done the best I've can with editing.

Thank you so much for reading and if you like it, please review.

~Elmjuniper

* * *

**THERE BE DEMONS AROUND**

"THIS MAN," THE ANTIVAN CROW pointed at Sten. "Is crazy." Sten glared angrily at Zevran, his face wearing a frown. "Not only did he kill a whole family for a sword, now he's trying to get us _all_ killed."

"You might not have survived, but that is of no meaning to me," Sten stated, his voice as unchanging as ever.

Armour clanked loudly as Deanna and the templar came stumbling in to the small camp hidden by the high rising trees of the small glen.

"What in the Maker's name were you thinking!?" The teryness shouted as she threw her helmet on the ground.

"I was not. It was the Qun."

The shorter woman strode up towards the Quanari and slammed him forcefully in the chest with the flat side of her great sword. He stumbled backwards, almost losing his balance and for a short moment Leliana could see the surprise on the large man's face.

"You do _not _follow the Qun any more, you _belong _to ME! Your oath is to me, and your loyalty lie with me until the blight is over!" The young warden shouted with rage.

The witch and enchantress emerged from the tent looking confused by the commotion in the small camp. Sten's eyes blazed with anger, his lips thinning. The angry warden slammed him once again with her sword, angrier, more forcefully. The templar winced at the loud clanking of the impact.

"I have taken down and ogre by myself, do not think for one second I won't disperse of you just as easily."

Sten snorted opening his mouth to retort when Deanna pushed off the ground slamming into the Quanari pummelling him over. They landed with a loud bang, dust swirling around them. As the dust settled the companions saw the smaller woman kneeling on top of Sten's chest the sharp edge of her sword pressed against his exposed throat drawing blood from the skin which split underneath the pressure. The bard saw the Quanari grimace in pain.

"Do _not _tell me to try because I would succeed." She snarled through clenched jaws. There was something unmistakeably dangerous about the warden. She looked so small and fragile, but was full of confidence with a quick mind, though as friendly as she seemed there was this undeniable wall of defence surrounding her, a wall the bard had not yet seemed to be able to penetrate. But there was something else. At times Deanna would be so immersed by the battle Alistair had to shake her out of it. The warden would blink and look around at the scattered corpses almost as if coming out of a trance.

Sten stared back, his defiance slowly fading. "I apologise."

She drew a deep sigh before standing back up holding out her hand so that he could grab it. He took it getting up awkwardly as the small party stared at them.

"What happened back there?" Deanna asked her voice once again just as soft and calm as it usually was.

"I am Sten of the Beresaad and I have always lived by the Qun. It is nothing I can choose or not choose. It is what it is."

"I know that, but you could have gotten us killed."

"Your deaths are a small price in comparison to restoring my honour." Deanna frowned. "But I admit I gave you my word and the Qun demands I honour it."

The templar rolled his eyes as his fellow warden sighed resolutely.

"Why would attacking a_ noble man _restore your honour?"

"It does not matter what he was. He could be a peasant, but he had something of mine."

"_He _had something of yours?"

"Asala." He answered. "My honour."

"Asala?" The young teryness looked perplexed.

"My sword."

"So the _sword _is his honour." The templar said in an almost childish realization.

Deanna put her hands on her hips looking stern. "_That's _why you killed that family and all those people?"

The bard shuddered at the memory of the slaying of the Gahlan family back in Lothering. It had shocked and disgusted many of the villagers. The Gahlan family had been such a nice and well-liked family in the small village of Lothering. The youngest of the children had been no older than six floods and the oldest used to come in to Dane's Refuge with her best friend, the young Hawke girl, the older Hawke sister watching them from a corner whenever she was around. The two friends used to giggle with their heads bent close together whispering of secret things only they could understand. Leliana smiled fondly at the memories of the nights in Lothering when the villagers would gather in the small tavern and listen to her sing her tales.

She felt a sting as she thought of the girls' young faces and Lothering's fate. Did any of them survive? Swallowing she bit her lip. She had just left them all without hesitation, just because she had a dream...not even once thinking of the people who might have needed her help. She had hoped that Lothering would have been evacuated by the time the Dark Spawn overran the town, but rumours said it had been a massacre. She closed her eyes momentarily feeling the guilt creep upon her, festering upon her conscience before looking back up at her companions. Whatever decision she had taken she could not change it now, and the Maker had set her this way, how could she refuse him? This was the right thing to do.

"Yes." Sten's voice brought her back to the harsh reality.

"Why didn't you tell us instead of rushing in drawing the attention of every guardsman in Denerim?"

The big Quanari seemed puzzled by the question. "I..."

"Didn't think." Deanna finished his sentence, sitting down to scratch the back of her head. "This sword of yours is obviously important."

"It is my honour." Sten repeated.

"Then..." Her voice soften. "We should get it back."

Sten nodded where he stood glaring his deadly glare.

"However we can't return to Denerim without being recognized."

There was a moment of silence before the witch sighed. "'Tis not so difficult! I'll go and see who this noble is."

Deanna looked up form where she sat, smiling gratefully. "Then I will make sure to solve your...problem."

Morrigan nodded once before leaping into the air transforming into a jet back raven soaring into the sky. As she disappeared from view the proud Harpia took off after her, his large wings beating the air lifting him higher and higher into the blue summer sky. The bard frowned. Was he following her to protect her?

"We'll get your sword back, but I need your help with something in return."

"I am at your service." The Quanari nodded stoically.

"What is it exactly we're going to do?" Alistair said his brows furrowing in a suspicious frown.

"We've got...a witch to kill and _no__, _it's not the one you're thinking of so stop smiling." Deanna said before looking up to face the bard for the first time since they had to flee Denerim. Leliana smiled carefully at the warden hoping she wasn't still angry about the trouble she and Morrigan had caused by opening the locket in the Gnawed Tavern. Deanna simply stared back before turning to Wynne.

"How is Sinniralin?"

"She is sleeping for now. When she wakes up she will need to eat and rest to regain some strength, but she will be fine."

Leliana glanced towards the elf's tent. She had seemed fine at first but had deteriorated during their first night after their hasty flight. She had fallen into a restless sleep, her body wracked with fever. It was good to hear Wynne say that she would be fine despite the events over the last couple of days.

"We cannot postpone this much longer. I think it's best if we split up." The templar's head snapped towards the blonde warden who remained calm despite his look of outrage.

"Zevran and Morrigan stay behind while the rest of us go back into the Wilds."

"But I..." Leliana started before the warden cut her off.

"I need all the manpower I can get. There is not second guessing me, you're _not _staying behind. You are the best archer we have and I need someone who can assist us with ranged attacks." Something strange burned behind her eyes and Leliana felt herself back down, frowning slightly.

"And, if I may ask, what will I be doing? The lady needs tending to and I'm afraid the only sort I know would not help her right now."

Deanna seemed to bite her tongue as the healer spoke softly. "I too think it would be better if the bard stayed, she knows a lot more of tending to wounds than Zevran."

"And I am trained in archery, milady," said Zevran suavely flexing his arms in demonstration.

The bard could see the battle raging inside the warden, then her face turned calm once more and she nodded."Very well, then you stay."

The templar cleared his throat in attempt to break the awkward silence that followed. "Shouldn't we be bringing Morrigan instead of Wynne? No offense Wynne," the templar said giving their healer an apologetic nod.

"Not this time."

"Where are you going?" Leliana asked wondering what Deanna had referred to when speaking to Morrigan.

"The less you know, the better." The warden stared flatly at her before standing up. "We best all prepare."

~•~

The group was preparing for their trip when the witch swooped down with a loud swooshing sound, landing with a loud thud not far away from the strawberry-blonde templar who jumped startled. Leliana could see a smile spread across Morrigan's lips as Alistair cursed.

"'Tis simple. The sword is with a noble man, but I'm sure our bard here knows a trick or two that would help us get it back." Leliana saw the witch eye her.

"What are you implying?"

"I imply that you do what you do and steal it."

"I can't just walk in and steal it, not until they return." Leliana pointed out where she stood mending the broken strings on her amulet.

"You know what has to be done, you do it when you will." The witch shrugged and retreated to her tent.

Leliana sighed shaking her head before securing the last thread. It had broken during their escape from that crazy cult's estate and she hadn't found the time to mend it until now. She looked at it and gave a satisfactory nod before tying it around her neck once again. She put the rest of the thread into the small leather pouched tied to her side when her fingers brushed against the silver locket. Picking it up she looked over at the elf's tent. She should go and check on her before Deanna was back with tonight's dinner.

"Sin?" The bard announced her presence as she ducked into the tent. The mysterious elf seemed to have tossed and turned, kicking the bedrolls aside in her sleep. A small slip of her bedroll slithered across her hip like a snake covering nothing more than a fraction of the exquisite body, revealing long well-toned legs, scars scissoring along the thighs on the milky skin. She could see how, despite the scars, Sin made for a perfect seductress. The bard blinked looking up at the elf's face. It twitched, eyes fluttering wildly behind close eyelids. The elf's breath sounded strained and laboured, little beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead. She was running a fever again.

"Sin?" Leliana whispered softly. "Sin, you have to wake up to drink some root tea, you're running a fever again." Leaning in she saw Sin's veins turn dark forming an eerie web-like pattern. Turning her head she could see it spread like a wildfire across the seductress' whole body. She gasped in shock. The elf had been poisoned!

"Sinniralin!" She put her hand on Sin's arm in an attempt to shake her alive when she heard a sharp sizzling sound from underneath her palm. A shrill shriek escaped the seductress' lips as she flew up from her bedroll hunching on all four like the deadly shadow cats one could find on The Silent Plains. Sin bared needle-sharp fangs at Leliana, hissing in wrath. Her skin wasn't milky-white like it had been only seconds ago, but had turned grey, her eyes nothing but hollow eye sockets burning with blue fire, smoke billowing from them.

"By the Maker!" The bard cried as she threw herself backwards out of the tent.

~•~

There were times when she came back to the camp and it laid silent save for the one person sitting guard, other times her companions loitered about mending their armour or making friendly conversations. This, was not one of those times. Walking up to the campsite, the stag slung over her shoulder, she saw the bard stumble out from Sinniralin's tent looking horrified and pale. Commotion seemed to erupt as the companions looked up from whatever they were busying themselves with, Zevran and Alistair bolting in from their watch.

"What's going on?" She rushed up to the bard, but before Leliana could speak an invisible wave knocked them off the feet as the seductress emerged from the tent.

"A demon!" Alistair shouted as he used what little templar powers he still knew to strip the demon of its powers. Nothing happened and the seductress kept gliding towards them. Morrigan pulled at her magic, assaulting the creature with her most powerful spells and Wynne raised barrier after barrier, none of them strong enough to keep the monster from advancing on them. Deanna stared wildly around the camp. Something must have set Sinniralin off, she'd only ever seen her like this once before. _Think Deanna, Think!_ She pulled at every memory she had, her mind reeling, grasping at old fragments until she remembered. _The Chantry! _When they were sneaking into the Chantry to use their fountain for something wildly inappropriate.

"What did you do?" She screamed at the bard.

"Nothing! I just touched her and then she..." Stones, branches, leaves and dirt rose from the ground soaring high up in the air as Sin's powers mounted. The group backed away slowly and Deanna caught a glimpse of something glinting from the bard's chest. An amulet. She grabbed the bard turning her towards her. A Chantry amulet! Racing against time she ripped the amulet off the bard's neck.

"Throw this as far away as you can!" The sound of boulders and thick branches spinning in the air and colliding was deafening.

"What?! My mother gave me that!"

"Just _do _it!"She ordered. The bard gave her a hurtful look, but rose to her feet and threw it with all her might. The elf's head snapped towards the bard giving Deanna the momentum to grab the water buckets and lung herself at Sin. She grabbed the seductress hand swiping her feet from under her. The demonic elf shrieked at her, whipping her head at the strong warrior, clawing with her razor sharp fingers at her.

"I'm sorry, Sin," Deanna said before grabbing the elf by the hair forcing her head down on the ground as she poured the whole bucket of water onto her face forcing her to swallow it. With the Chantry amulet gone it didn't take long for the elf to return to her old form. She coughed and spluttered, blinking in confusion, still swallowing the water, her body racking in tremors as it transformed back and forth between the two forms, her frail body fighting to suppress the demonic essence. Deanna pulled her into her lap, cradling her gently in her arms, caressing Sin's wet hair reassuringly.

"It's alright, Sin. You're doing just fine, you can fight it," she cooed soothingly, staring Sin in the eyes bringing her back to reality as the elf's demonic side faded in and out until it eventually disappeared and she fell into an exhausted sleep in the warrior's arms.

The group of companions stared in shock at her.

"S-she's a...demon," Leliana stammered still in shock watching the place where she'd burnt the elf. It was still red and swollen.

"Did you _know _about this?" Alistair asked in an accusatory tone. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it's not for you to know and she's..."

"Not for us to know?! She could have killed Leliana, she _attacked _her! How could you possibly defend that?"

"It wasn't Leliana the spirit wanted," Deanna tried to explain.

"She is _dangerous_, Deanna, why can't you see that, we cannot bring something, something so _vile_ with us."

"You are threading on a_ very _thin line, Alistair," Deanna said sternly. "She is my friend, I _know_ Sin, she wouldn't just attack Leliana. Something must have triggered it," She insisted.

"Let's hope it doesn't happen again, shall we?" The witch said before adding, "though 'tis not wise to keep her on."

The mage opened her mouth to speak, but was cut short by the warden. "This is non-negotiable, Sinniralin stays. I have not judged either of you and I will not do so with Sin." And with that she rose to her feet leaving the companions to mull over those words while she helped the elf to bed.

~•~

She sat by the fire staring at the rounded locket in her hand, the distant crackling of the fire and buzzing of nearby crickets humming in her ears. The other companions and the wardens had been gone for three days and the elf still hadn't woken up since that night when they had all found out what she was. Alistair had tried to push the teryness to leave the demon behind until Deanna threatened to leave him behind if he did not stop pressuring her about it. _"Do not make me choose, because it will always be her."_ Something about the way Deanna had said it made her feel a sting of jealousy. It was clear the two of them had a far more intimate history than what they had all thought. Leliana still remembered the look of hurt on the templar's face as he fell silent before nodding a short 'fine'. She hadn't seen him return until the day they set out to deal with Morrigan's problem. Deanna had made sure Leliana remembered to keep her amulet off as long as they were gone and keep a bucket water nearby in case of...emergency.

Leliana pinched the bridge of her nose. Was this really happening? Was Sin really a demon? She had seen the demons in the fade and in the mage's tower, but Sin didn't look like any of them. If she was truly a demon, then how come she was so kind and thoughtful and protective of them? How could it be that she...that Leliana felt this sense of belonging to this woman if she was really a demon? Could it be something else? It had to be.

The bard twisted the locket between her fingers. What if..? No, she shook her head, Sin couldn't have anything to do with this blasphemous story about some twin God. Though, the elf held no love for the Maker, she had said so herself or at least implied so at several occasions. Holding up the locket towards the flickering flames of the fire she studied it through squinted eyes. She could still feel the pressing darkness from it where she held it in her hand. It chilled her where she sat next to the warmth of the fire and she shuddered to think that Sin maybe couldn't feel its wickedness because she too was an evil entity. Leliana shook her head defiantly at the thought. Sin was _not _evil, but why had Sin reacted like she had when Leliana had touched her? It would explain why Sin had kept her distance from her. Did she know something the bard didn't?

A stirring from within the elf's tent caught her attention and she held her breath as she saw the elf duck out from the tent. She wore a cloak, her hair pulled up in a loose bun moving slowly as if she were an old lady. She stopped in her tracks as she saw the bard watching her from where she sat.

"Oh, hey..." Her eyes flickered insecurely and she squirmed a little awkwardly. Winter's breath eyes locked with Leliana's and she felt that strong tingle in her chest. It was still Sin, the same woman she'd saved all those nights ago, the same woman whom she'd had so desperately wanted to kiss. She smiled bashfully her cheeks suddenly red with a hot flush.

"I've got something of yours." She held out the locket. Would Sin dare to come close to her? What would happen if she did?

Sin hesitated before slowly inching closer, drawing to a stop a few footsteps away, a puzzled look upon her face, eyes searching the bard for something.

"You're not wearing your amulet."

Leliana shook her head 'no'.

"Why?"

"Well, Deanna said that it probably was better if I didn't."

Sin sat down rubbing her forehead. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

Tilting her head Leliana could see the worry the deadly guilder masked with her otherwise so playful personality. "So you remember then?"

"My memory is a little foggy and mixed up, but I remember bits." Sin pulled her knees up towards her chest. "I don't know what happened. I don't know why you have this effect on me."

"Me?" What did Sin mean with that?

"It's you. Whenever you're near, this thing, this side of me I try to suppress becomes stronger. It fights harder to get out."

Leliana took a deep breath. "Is it...are you really a demon?" She was afraid to ask, but she had to know.

"No, I'm something else. Though I wish it hadn't been discovered like this."

"Does it hurt? When you transform?"

"It hurts all the time. Every moment it's not let out it tears at my body."

The bard swallowed thickly averting her gaze. "Do you transform often?"

"Every fullmoon."

She looked back in horror seeing Sin smile at her.

"You cheap liar..." Leliana chided her playfully.

"Only when I'm near the Chantry or...you."

"Why me?" The bard couldn't understand it.

"I don't know, even without your amulet it still hurts," Sin looked down before raising her gaze looking at her with an almost pleading look. "Who are you?"

"What do you mean? I'm just me. I'm no one special." Leliana said in confusion. She was just a bard, just a simple girl who had been fortunate enough to be picked up by Marjolaine instead of starving on the streets when Lady Cecilie died. Sin sighed heavily before leaning over to grab the locket gently, her fingertips brushing against Leliana's palm. She let her hand linger, fingers closed around the locket.

"Then I suggest you stay away from me."The elf's eyes never left Leliana's as she spoke before she got up, turning her back on the bard.

_What?! _She hadn't expected Sin to say something like that and she stood up in frustration. Why did the elf keep on pushing her away? What was it she was so afraid of?

"Why?!"

Sin turned to look at her, pulling her hood up. "Because it wants to kill you."

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	20. Fate

**AN: **Didn't I tell you I wouldn't take as long to update? Sometimes I make good on my promises. ;) Big thanks to everyone who's read, subscribed and favourite. A huge thanks to all of you who reviewed and gave me feedback, it is very much appreciated. :)

So in this chapter there is a Daly. It's something I came up with for my OC. A Daly is an advisor who is specialised in giving advice. It's a whole science in predicting which would be the best advice. I could be about almost anything; money, wars, relationships, gambling, politicking etc. Nearly all wealthy nobles and kings and queens can be seen with one or two Dalies next to them. A wise man would not make an important decision without consulting his Daly first.

Ok, just wanted to clarify that. :) Also I know Wynne doesn't get The True Prophet book until you've been to Orzammar, but hey, since almost everything else is different from the game, why not that as well? ;)

Hope you enjoy this chapter.

~Elmjuniper

PS. Again, I've done what I can with editing, but I'm sure I've missed some typos and all, but you will survive, yes?

* * *

**FATE **

THE WATERFALL LEAPT OFF THE cliff in a grand arch, diving towards the lake piercing its surface with playful splashes. The surface rippled and Sinniralin let the tips of her fingers break the tiny waves as she waded through the water towards the inviting waterfall. The cool water pressed against her skin and she shuddered, thankful for the hot summer sun warming her bare shoulders. Cupping her fingers she let her hands sink under the surface scooping up the clean water splashing her face with it. It trickled down her throat and neck leaving broken trails of wet pearls as it ran zig-zag down across her chest. She took a deep breath sinking down towards the bottom, letting the coolness and stillness of the thick waters surround her. Closing her eyes she felt her insides relaxing, the demonic essence held at bay temporarily by the cold water. She revelled in the feeling of letting herself go, just floating underneath the surface, weightless, worriless. Serenity. That amazing feeling water gave her. She stayed like that until her lounges started burning, imploring her to grant them air once more. She kicked off from the rounded stones covering the bottom of the small lake, breaking the surface with a sharp intake of air. She flattened her hair, water dripping like a small downpour as she rolled up her long hair into a ball, squeezing it hard. She braided it slowly before tossing it behind her back mulling the events that had taken place recently.

She scrunched up her face. Who was that man from the weird estate she'd been taken to? Why did he feel so familiar? He knew who she was, he had said her name. Her head ached and she sighed heavily. It was the second time in a short period that someone had referred to her as the Destroyer. What did they mean by that? What was it they knew that she didn't? She thought back of the golden book. If only she had the prophecy. If only she knew what it was that the odd man, his crazy cult and that blind mage she had come across days earlier were all talking about, then maybe she wouldn't feel like she was walking around blindfolded. She pondered the blind mage's words, _The Destroyer of Light. _She stared at her reflection, distorted and blurred by the rippling of water. Her face swirled and twisted on the surface and she placed a hand on her cheek almost as if to make sure her face hadn't changed. Her fingertips curled around the subtle edge of her cheekbones, silken skin warmed by the sun. She kept looking trying to see if she could see the monster that lurked within her –whatever it was. Sapphire eyes stared back at her. She closed them, feeling her breath shake a little. Why? Why did these things happen? Why couldn't she stop it? Why couldn't she control it? This thing, this evil part of her that she tried so hard to fight, kept growing stronger. Images from days before flashed before her mind. The frightened looks upon her fellow companions' faces, the hate and distaste mirrored in the templar's face. She hated herself just as much as he did. Something like her shouldn't exist.

"Just another abomination," she whispered to her own reflection. Even the bard had looked at her rigid with fear. She huffed. What had she'd expected? That Leliana, the lay sister who saw the beauty of the Maker in almost everything, would understand or would even accept what she was? Had she really believed there was possibility that the two of them could have any sort of relationship? She didn't deserve it. She was something foul and sinister. How she had given birth to such a beautiful daughter was beyond her. How could the Maker grant her something as amazing as Nimue?

Her daughter. She felt a sting of remorse as she thought of how her daughter had always looked up at her, big blue eyes filled with love. If only she could go back to make sure her daughter and Glub were alright. Impossible without risking being caught again, she still hadn't reported back to Loghain and she was sure that by now he had figured out she had betrayed him. Glub would keep Nimue safe or die trying. She swallowed. She would have to pace things up if she wanted to get back to her family.

A gasp behind her back interrupted her thoughts and she turned her head looking in the direction from which the sound had come from. The bard stood by the water's edge, one hand clasping her mouth.

"By the Maker, Sin. Your back!" She exclaimed in shock.

The old cuts from her lashings in the dungeons ran like long gullies across her back and the new ones had sliced some of them open yet again. They had healed quicker than they should, but it was still a nasty sight. She looked away, feeling slightly ashamed of the current state of her body.

"It's fine, it'll heal." She started splashing her arms with water waiting for Leliana to say something.

"Some of those are old." She hadn't noticed the bard approaching her in the water and she stiffened underneath the touch of Leliana's hands on her bare shoulders as she inspected her scars. "What happened to you?"

She turned her head glancing at the red headed bard from the corner of her eyes. "I was held captive in the dungeons of an arle."

"The dungeons? They tortured you, didn't they?"

Sin remained silent staring at her hand that was drawing circles in the water.

"Let me help you, Sin." The bard pleaded with her.

She swallowed thickly. She couldn't. How could she risk hurting the bard by letting her close?

"I can't," she whispered.

"Why?" Leliana demanded forcing her to turn around.

"Because I don't_ want_ to hurt you. You are…special. I'm not sure how, but I don't want to hurt you."

The bard stepped closer to her looking her dead in the eye. "You're not going to hurt me. I _know_ you won't."

"I can't control it, Leliana. It's getting stronger." Lately the force of the demonic essence had increased, but to her surprise it seemed to weaken now that the bard stood close to her in the cool water. How could that be?

"Then let me help you control it," Leliana said seriously. "I'm not going away Sin and neither are you, you _can't _avoid me forever."

Sin found herself smiling shaking her head in defeat. Partly because she liked how stubborn the bard could be, partly because it reminded her of how she used to be herself. Perhaps she could control better things if she did let the bard feel like she was helping her? "Did anyone ever tell you you're obnoxiously stubborn?"

"No, never happened. Not once, now turn around so we can clean this mess up."

"Uh huh…a likely story," Sin muttered but obliged nonetheless and turned around. She wished she didn't relax or enjoy the feel of Leliana's hands gently cleaning her back with the blindweed soap, but she did, her skin tingling underneath the light pressure of Leliana's fingertips. She let the bard wash her back, then her shoulders and then her arms. She could feel the heat of Leliana's bare skin pressed next to hers where she stood behind her and her gaze feel on the bard's arms as her hands scrubbed Sin's wrists. Thin, short scars ran across the bard's arms. Sin grabbed Leliana's arms gently lifting it softly towards her face before turning towards the bard. So this is why she had spoken so convincingly about the tortured templar they had run into before defeating Uldred.

It was different seeing her like this. The bard was not afraid to show her emotions and she would protest whole-heartedly if disagreeing with the warden's choices. She was confident when asked to pick a locket or a pocket for that matter and she was lethal out on the battlefield, but looking at her now the Orlesian looked insecure and vulnerable. Sin studied her body. Scars covered the ribs and chest, a reflection of Sin's own scarred skin. Leliana shivered and her hand arm which Sin was still holding in her hand quivered slightly and suddenly Sin felt an inexplicable need to protect the woman standing in front of her, from her past, from all harm that had ever been done to her or might be done to her. She hesitated before pulling the arm softly, drawing the deer-eyed bard into her arms.

"Why don't you talk about it?"

"The same reason you don't," Leliana mumbled into Sin's neck.

Sin closed her eyes, the bard's faint scent of wildberries filling her senses. She would protect Leliana. Just like she had sworn she would protect Deanna a long time ago. She felt a tingling sensation run through her body, rushing through her veins, opening her eyes she broke free as she stared around them. Light-blue flames surrounded them, glowing speckles of light swirling all around them. The bard looked up, stunned by the sight. Its force increased, flames and orbs rising high towards the sky, the energy rushing through their bodies. Leliana grabbed her hand instinctively as they watched the small wonder before them. It gave a small push then shot up and disappeared into the thin air. Sinniralin stared back at Leliana still uncertain of what had just happened when the bard opened her mouth.

"Sin, look!" She led out the wrist Sin had been holding, a faint glowing sign branded the inside of her wrist. "What in the…" The bard's hand shook as Sinniralin studied it. She let it go with a low whisper.

"Saviour."

~•~

They had killed the Witch of the Wilds. The Witch of the Wilds! Wynne gave her forehead a weary stroke with the back of her hand, wiping off dirt and grime from it. It had been no small feat and Deanna had been right when she had said they needed the bard's ranged attacks, but the bard had needed to stay and help Morrigan care for…Wynne lifted her gaze staring out at the camp fire. Everyone was there save the guilder. She had distanced herself since that horrible night before they had left for the Wilds. The warden had been adamant that Sinniralin stay with them and it seemed none of them could change her mind. The templar's dislike of the situation had been obvious and the old enchantress couldn't help, but feel a little sorry for him. She had seen enough to know fear of losing someone one loved when she saw it, though eliminating Sinniralin wasn't the way to make sure he wouldn't lose the warden. This much was clear from the way the guilder and young teryness interacted with each other.

She saw the templar glare in her direction. Following his glare she noticed Sin standing behind her. When had she gotten there? By Andraste, the elf was hard to detect!

"Sinniralin," she greeted the younger woman politely.

"May I speak to you?"

"Of course, child." Sin may be a demon…or not, but Wynne had her fair share of dealing with both demons and young mages who still weren't in control of their powers. She recognized the look of confusion on the elf's face. "What is it?"

"You have been in the Circle for quite some time, yes?" The elf shifted where she stood.

"All my life, first as a student, then as Senior Enchanter, why do you ask?"

"So you must know a lot about…" The elf paused before continuing. "Abominations."

Wynne nodded. "Yes, I do."

"And you saw me. Have you ever…"

"Seen anything like you?" Wynne finished Sinniralin's question. "No, I can't say that I have. You Sinniralin have powers, great powers that I have seen no other mage or enchanter possess. Perhaps Tevinter mages have similar powers, but I have never heard of someone wielding so many of them. The mages I've heard of have been able to use one or two powers, but not like you Sinniralin."

The elf removed her hood, pulling up the sleeve of her cloak, holding out her wrist. "Do you know what this means? My knowledge of runes is very basic."

Wynne frowned. On the pale skin she could see a blood red symbol resembling a shard cutting through to lines. She looked up at the white-haired elf with a concerned expression on her face.

"It's the rune of Iobar."

"Iobar?"

"It's the rune of sacrifice," Wynne studied the elf's face. "How did you get this? This is no regular blood writing and if it was, you wouldn't be asking now about it." She could see Sinniralin glance towards her side before facing her again.

"It's complicated," she replied truthfully. Wynne sat down motioning for the elf to accompany her. She hesitated before complying.

"It is clear to me you seek my advice, but I must ask you, Sinniralin. What is it you are? I have seen many demons and abominations, but as I said earlier, nothing like you. I can help, but I must know." She heard the younger woman sigh.

"Have you ever heard of O'Leohat?"

O'Leohat? It sounded vaguely familiar. She squinted her thinking hard before remembering the book Deanna had given to her. The book which was most blasphemous if you were to believe the Chantry. Wynne wasn't sure she always did.

"Please refresh my mind," she said.

"Some people believe Andraste wasn't The Chosen One, they think she was just an unusually powerful mage."

"Yes…now I remember," Wynne said slowly as the memory of the passage in her book came back to her.

"So you've heard of her?" Sinniralin sounded surprised.

"I recently stumbled upon the name."

"So you know about her sister? That they were twin souls?" The elf looked at her with curious eyes.

"No, I've heard the theory about Andraste's past before, but I only recently learned the name."

"The forbidden lore speaks of two twins, Andraste and Aithne. One would become Anfarra, the Prophet and spiritual wife of the Maker and the other O'Leohat, the Dark Bride. Two pawns in a war that's been raging on for centuries, between the two fathers of this world. The reason both Andraste and Aithne was such powerful mages was because both she and her sister were the spawn of Tes'Hathr one of the fathers, set out to do his evil deeds. Only, she chose not to. Though her sister, O'leohat did." Sin paused before speaking again. "And O'leohat was my mother."

Wynne felt her heart stop. Tes'Hathr, the father of blood magic! She knew that name from the scrolls kept safely in First Enchanter Irving's office. Anything that had to do with Tes'Hathr wasn't just bad, it was dangerous, _very_ dangerous. The belief in Tes'Hathr had set many good mages on a path towards death and destruction. It was nothing the Cirle or the Chantry spoke of in hopes of keeping mages from turning to blood magic. Tes'Hathr was the one equal to the Maker, the brother whom endorsed the use of magic, demons his servants, abominations his children. He who would see the world chained by dark magic, a new kingdom, a _free_ kingdom, for blood mages, witches and anyone who possessed magic and those who didn't –turned in to the new kingdom's slaves.

"The Creator of Old Gods," she met Sinniralin's peculiar blue eyes. It all fit. If it was true that Andraste had wielded powers that few had seen before the similarities between her and the elf would be more than coincidental, but it couldn't be true. Despite her knowledge of those scrolls she had kept to her belief that they were just documents of some twisted cult the Tevinters had come up with to justify they're heinous use of magic.

"I am not just a demon, I'm more than that, I'm just not exactly sure how much more." Sinniralin looked away from her.

"You're a Felling child, are you not?" It was more a statement than anything else.

"How did you know?" The elf asked taken aback by the question.

Wynne shook her head remorsefully. So it was true. No wonder she had been able to feel the change in atmosphere when Sinniralin had stepped into the tower. She studied the white-haired elf in front of her, eyes as blue as winter's sky, skin as white as snow and regardless of what she was she showed compassion and great responsibility when it came to her powers. Could such a person really bring the downfall of the Chantry and the Maker? Could someone who fought the Blight want to see the lands overrun by the darkspawns? If the scrolls of Tes'Hathr were true, if Andraste had really been his spawn, then it proved one could decide one's own fate. If that was the case then Sinniralin could also chose her own path. Looking at her where she sat, worry and shame displayed in her youthful face Wynne decided that Sinniralin wouldn't bring chaos upon Thedas if she could help it. She stood up and went over to her tent, ruffling through her bag before returning to the quiet elf.

"This will explain things to you." Wynne handed her the book.

"What is this?" Sin asked twisting the book in her hands before she saw the title. Her mouth fell agape. "It can't be…" She looked up at Wynne. "I've been looking for this one all over Thedas."

Wynne smiled. "I figured as much. You will learn a great deal from the book, but remember, Sinniralin. You control your own fate. Just like Andraste."

~•~

Sinniralin read the passage once, twice and then a third time. The book was written in a gnarly, thin handwriting, but the words were there nonetheless, the same words that had been spoken to her by different people recently. She placed the book on the soft ground next to her where she sat in the dark, hidden behind a thick tree. She had spent nearly a decade trying to find Andraste's last prophecy, but now that she held it in her hand she wished she had never found it. Was this her task in life? Was this the sole reason she had been born? Maybe it wasn't her? Maybe it was Lesdra. There were two of them after all who could be Milleadair.

She fiddled the silver charm. It felt cold against her warm fingers and she let her fingertips run across the inscriptions on the oval surface. _Embrace your fate, Sin! _Lesdra's voice echoed in her mind. Realization dawned on her and she felt herself go numb. That's why it was her and not Lesdra. Her sister had pushed her over the threshold and by doing so she had embrace her father sealing her fate as the Destroyer. Lesdra must have known this. Piece after piece seemed to fall into its place and she felt herself come undone. If this was meant to be then how could she have brought a child into this world? Into a world that was to be swallowed whole by darkness, a darkness she was to bring forth. She despaired where she sat, hot, wet tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I can't even kill myself to stop it." She pounded her fist against the mossy ground. She pulled her knees up to her chin, curling her arms around them as she hid her face from the world, leaning her forehead against her knees.

"Sinniralin," the old enchantress spoke softly placing a hand on her shoulder. "You can change your fate. I've seen you. You're strong enough and you have the discipline to overcome this, but only _you _can do it."

She lifted her face, shoulders slouching. "And what if I don't?"

"Then I'm sure we will think of something," Wynne said smiling reassuringly at her.

"Well, you'd have to unless you want to be swarmed by pesky little darkspawns," she muttered drawing an amused chuckle from the older woman squatting next to her.

"Think of the prophecy as nonsense. From what I've seen of you, that's what I'm going to do. Now let's go back to camp before the rest wonders where we've gone to."

"I suppose you're right. Are you going to tell the rest of them?"

Wynne glanced sideways at her where they walked. "No, for now think it would be unwise."

"Thank you," Sin gave a small nod.

"And Sinniralin," the mage's voice turned serious.

"Yes?"

"Becareful of Morrigan. She is going to want to use you."

Sinniralin chuckled. "I think I wouldn't mind."

"Sinniralin! That is not what I meant, besides, we both know you'd rather have the Orlesian bard do that than the witch." Wynne smirked as they entered the camp leaving her gawking. _The audacity! _

~•~

The night lay still, Denerim once again veiled by the night's darkness as they crept along the rooftops like silent wraiths. Sin's cloak fluttered in the night air, the tassels twisting and turning like snakes. Leliana found it both fascinating and eerie. Being high up above the cobbled streets that wounded through the city didn't help. The elf climbed onto another roof, scuttling towards the wall of Lord Vanderline's estate. Leliana followed her best she could, still unnerved by the height of the roofs. Sinniralin led them across a maze of houses, the Drakon River running alongside them to the east. Sin took them higher and higher and Leliana found she could see across the whole city and beyond the forest line of the outskirts of Denerim. The seductress heaved herself onto a ledge before turning around holding out her hand for the bard to grab. Leliana took it, feeling a slight tingle coarse through her arm as their palms connected.

She looked up and saw the elf grinning. _What now? _She stood up next to Sin and felt her stomach churn with fear as she saw the balcony far below them.

"Please tell me we're not thinking of going down there," she whispered to the elf next to her.

Sin snickered a low snicker.

"Oh. Dear. Maker," Leliana wheezed. They were! She wrung her hands anxiously when she felt Sin's hand grab her by the arm turning her around.

"Are you scared?" A grin grew on the seductress' lips. _Was she amused?! _

"Well unlike some I'm not used to standing a hundred bloody feet up above a rock solid street!" She hissed indignantly. Sin laughed, eyes sparkling with amusement.

"It's not like we're going to jump down there," Sinniralin teased before pulling her close. "We're going to do something way more fun."

Leliana felt as if someone pressed their palms hard against her chest then jerked her forward with such force it threw her across a room. She gasped when they landed on the balcony with a loud bang. She barely had time to catch her breath before the elf grabbed her hand dragging into the sheltering shadows on a ledge next to the balcony pressing her against the cold stone wall.

She could hear the clinking of armoured guards rushing across the courtyard as they tried to detect what the loud noise had been. Leliana shuddered where she stood, Sin standing close behind her. She had never been so aware of someone's presence before, so unable to ignore it.

"Don't move," the elf whispered her breath a tender caress on the bard's neck and she found she couldn't possibly move even if she wanted to. The seductress mesmerised her and Leliana barely dared to breathe when she felt the strange connection between them grow stronger in her chest. Two guards entered the balcony, searching it for intruders, but she was hardly aware of them. Sin's faint smell of lilies enveloped her, drawing her in further as Sin placed her cheek next to hers, whispering inaudibly.

"As soon as the pass we'll slip in, get the sword and leave."

Leliana's cheek tingled at the soft touch and she turned slowly to face the seductress. Straightening herself she stared right into Sin's eyes.

"What are you..?" Sin mumbled softly when she moved closer, barley an inch away. Pulling the hood off Sin's head she let her eyes search Sin's.

"I'm not afraid of you," she whispered. They had been here before not long ago. The same city, the same situation, only this time she knew why Sin kept pushing her away, but not this time. She wouldn't let her. This time she would fight for her. She could feel the elf's feeling mingle with her own, the strong connection binding them to one another. She let her hand stroke Sin's cheek gently, never breaking eye contact and then ever so lightly she pressed her lips against Sin's. It was a careful, gentle kiss and she let her lips linger on Sin's. She stirred to move away when Sin's hands grabbed her hips, pulling her back for another kiss. She felt the seductress sweep her tongue across her lips, tasting her. She let Sin part her lips with her tongue as she clasped her face with her hands letting herself seemingly meld and become one with the seductress. She could taste the desire on the seductress' lips and tongue, feel it in the tightening grip on her hips and on how Sin pressed her up against the wall with the weight of her own body. Leliana could feel herself ache to be closer to the enchanting elf and her body whimpered in protest when Sin finally broke their kiss. She could feel the elf's chest rise and fall where they stood pressed together before Sin moved away from her, leaping on to the balcony turning to face her.

"That sword better be worth this," Sin muttered holding out her hand. Leliana giggled as she slipped down on to the balcony, hunching down low next to Sin.

"You know, they say patience is a virtue," she whispered sweetly before placing a soft kiss on the elf's exposed neck.

"Now you're just teasing me," Sin snarled, squinting her eyes at her before disappearing behind the corner.

~•~

The glass shattered as it hit the wall, thousands of tiny pieces spraying into the air before landing on the cold floor.

"_How_?! How could you _fools _loose her?! You had her in your grasp all you had to do was to kill her and release the Destroyer!" His green eyes blazed with anger as he paced back and forth in the high rising tower overlooking Minotraus, two walkers hovering next two him. The elven Daly glanced nervously at them.

"Ser, I'm sorry, but..."

"_But_ there can be no sorry! You had the Destroyer in your grasp and you let her escape!"

"S-Ser...she was rescued."

He spun slowly, hands held composedly behind his back. "Rescued?" It wasn't a rhetorical question. The elven advisor seemed to gulp before speaking again.

"As the scrolls state..."

"You mean to say," the dark-haired man rounded his large wooden desk. "that the Destroyer was rescued by _Sàbhailiche_?" His voice rose as his the knuckles on his clenched fists whitened.

"Y-yes..."

"But I changed all that! I changed her past! I made sure she never made contact with the templars to give herself over to the Chantry and the Circle! I trained her to become what she is!"

"It seems you only changed on thing, Ser."

He stopped his pacing.

"It seems you only changed how they met."

"What are you Implying, Daly?"

"Master, it is fate...It is written in the prophecy."

"Then..."

"She will return one day to kill you both."

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	21. Don't Fear The Darkness

AN: Hey, everyone, sorry about the long Christmas break. Got super busy with a project from school, but now I am back to writing again.

This chapter contains some smuttiness. So be prepared.

Please leave a review if you're stopping by to let me know what you think of both the story and the cover I added for it. It would really make my day. :)

Hope you like the new chapter!

~Elmjuniper

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**DON'T FEAR THE DARKNESS**

SINNIRALIN PULLED THE COLLAR OF of her thick fur coat closer as her eyes swept across the rolling hills below the jagged peaks of Frostback Mountains. The mountains rose like kings towards the sky, towering proudly above the crimson horizon. Snow covered the plains that stretched in front of them and the wind whipped small grains of snow at their frozen cheeks where they pushed through the coldness of the setting sun.

The small company had travelled for a week, leaving the protection and warmth of the thick forest behind them as they ventured out on the Frosted Flatlands. Few people travelled this way. The plains stretched for miles, not a single tree or stone to guide one's path. Any man or woman travelling this way had to be a good tracker to find their way across this snowy expanse or chances of making it through were slim.

They would have been better off to circle around it, but that meant losing valuable time they did not have. Deanna had reluctantly decided that they cross the plains in order to get to the village mentioned in Brother Genitivi's notes. The group hadn't seemed overly excited about her decision to lead them all out on a plain that could swallow them whole and no one would be any wiser, but had agreed nonetheless. Sinniralin still found it interesting how all of these people had taken to look at Deanna as their leader. How had that happened anyway? How come Alistair wasn't in charge? Wasn't he the one who'd been a warden the longest? The young teryness pulled to a stop next to her, surveying their surroundings.

"What do you think?" She asked. The furry hood made it hard to see her face, but Sin knew the younger woman was trying to find somewhere safe for them to make camp for the night.

"I think it looks just the same as it did when we first stepped onto the Flatlands," she muttered, "If we make camp we should at least have three of us circling the perimeter. It doesn't have to be big, but it needs to be guarded from all sides."

"Then I'll put four on guard," the warden said grimly rubbing her cold hands together in an effort to rub some warmth into them.

"No. Three will be enough, keep the fourth on watch inside the camp," Sin paused as she scraped the ground with the sole of her boot, "something about these flatlands creep's me out."

"Yes, I can feel it too. Something is definitely odd about this place," The warden said thoughtfully scanning the barren landscape until she found a spot she liked, "Over there, let's get the fire going before night fall."

Sin slung her backpack on to her shoulders watching Little Thug circle in the sky above them. He would let her know if something was amiss. For now she would concentrate on getting the camp up before the cold night would freeze them all to death out here. And food, she needed food. She stopped, turning to Deanna who looked at her quizzically.

"What is it?"

"Could you, maybe ask Leliana to make that soup for us tonight?" She thought she saw annoyance in the warden's eyes, but it disappeared too quickly for her to decide if it was or not.

"Why do you need me to ask?"

"Because they're all like your little minions and will do what you say. They like you. Me –they just fear– they'll probably think I'll eat them in their sleep now," Sin mused as the witch passed them giving her a suspicious look, "You needn't worry, Morrigan, I usually eat something more meaty." She winked. The witch huffed angrily stomping off to set up her tent.

"Maybe you should just ask her yourself," Deanna said nodding to somewhere behind her. Sin turned and saw the red headed bard walk up toward her.

"Ask me what?" Sapphire eyes twinkled.

"If you need help getting the fire started in your tent."

Leliana quirked an eyebrow, a coy smile spreading across her lips, "You want to help me heat my tent up? I think I'd like that."

"I'm sure you would, how about we-" Sin started but was interrupted by a stern voice behind her back.

"Sin, I need you to scout out the perimeter while the rest of us get this camp set." She turned giving Deanna an annoyed glare. She had the worst timing that woman. "What? You share a tent with me, which means you already have someone setting up a tent for you."

"Fine. Perimeter it is," She gave Leliana an apologetic nod, pulling the warm hood up as she set out to scout. This was going to be a long night.

~•~

"Can we talk?" It wasn't really a question. Sinniralin knew this where she stood by the edge of the camp.

"What do you want to talk about?" She inquired as she tried to look very busy with staring into the pitch black night.

"What happened in Denerim?" The question was asked with a disguise of curiousness, but Sin could hear it for what it was –the short end of Deanna's temper.

"Well, quite a lot of things happened in Denerim; I'd say the same old," Sin tried to evade the question. This wasn't a conversation she wanted to have here. Not with everyone in camp so close to them.

"Yes, well, in particular why did Leliana say you tried to kiss her?"

Sin gave an exasperated sigh, "I nearly get myself lacerated to death and you want to know why someone said I tried to kiss them."

"See, that's what I don't understand, Sin. You used to be so thorough and professional about things. Something like this couldn't have happened a year ago. What's gotten into you?"

"Really? Really, Dee? You question me, teryness 'oh, yes, I'll drink this darkspawn blood'," Sin snarled.

"No! No! Don't turn this around on me, why are you so distracted? How could you get yourself nearly killed? And for that matter exposed! To everyone in camp. Have you lost your mind?!"The warden raised her voice angrily. Sin cringed where she stood well aware that on empty plains sound travelled faster than rumours in a pub full of thieves.

"Have you completely lost yours?" Sin hissed angrily, trying to keep her voice down, "I've done nothing wrong here, Dee. I told you I'd help you figure this out. Things have changed, I have changed. If you'd been around you would have known this."

"I tried to find you," Deanna's voice softened, "but you were gone."

Sin shook her head ruefully. "We've been over this, Deanna. We can't change things, it is what it is, but you can't pick a fight with me every time you… you want to discuss the past. It's just that -the past- leave it there."

"What about… before, when you first found me again?"

"I was shocked to see you. Last time I saw you were on the day you stood on that balcony next to that nitwit and your father announced your engagement," Sin's voice grew thick at the memory, "I couldn't stay, Dee. I couldn't bear to stay in Highever knowing that every night you shared your bed with someone else. How could I?"

The warden's soft hands came up to clasp her face, turning it toward her own. Silent tears rolled down the teryness rosy cheeks.

"I'm sorry Sin, I'm so sorry. I should have stood up to my father, but I was weak, I was scared, but I never stopped loving you," her voice broke then and she had to collect herself before continuing, "You are the only one I ever loved, Sin."

Sin smiled sadly, "You know I will always love you, but we had our chance and we blew it. Maybe I should have fought for you, maybe you should have been braver either way we can't change it. You have Alistair now and trust me, Dee, he isn't half bad. I mean, he is a royal pain, but he's a nice guy. You don't need me; I'm some guilder with a demon festering inside of me. You deserve someone one who loves you completely and by the way that boy looks at you, I have no doubt he'll treat you better than I could."

The teryness sniffled, caressing Sin's face before standing on her toes pressing her lips against Sin's. Sin let the teryness kiss her remembering how they used to be, the life they had both left behind them for better or worse. They broke apart slowly as if to savour the memories, sealing them in some secret compartment hidden deep inside their chests.

"He'll never be you, Sin and I will _always_ love you, even if it is from afar," Deanna said quietly her forehead resting against Sin's warm lips. It hurt, more than Sin could explain. It hurt knowing they'd had it all, but it had slipped through their fingers like the hot sand below the Wandering Hills. And it hurt having been given a second chance only to realize it was too late. Something sounded behind them and they both spun on their feet staring at the deer eyed bard.

"I-I'm," was all she said, mouth agape before she quickly turned around disappearing into camp.

~•~

Sinniralin stared into the dancing flames letting them enchant her as they swayed in the dark night. She sniffled from the biting cold, her breathe fogging up the evening air every time she exhaled. This cold was miserable! She scowled, listening to the night surrounding her. It was silent as the old graveyards back in Highever, curious. In the forest at night one usually heard small critters dart from their hiding places to go scavenging when the larger animals had gone to sleep for the night. If you were lucky you could hear the wolves howl at the moon, the occasional owl hooting in the background. Sin had always found the sound of the forest reassuring. Out on the plains the silence that had settled with it brought the nudging feeling that they were missing something. Darkspawn lurking? Giants to the west? Wraiths from the mountains? She shook her head in frustration. It was something. She watched Little Thug pick at the ground relentlessly and she tossed him some of the dried fruits. He hopped up next to her warming her with his body.

"It's okay, go back to the tent. I don't need a frozen bird in the morning," she cooed, scratching him underneath his beak. The large bird gave her a nudge before flying over to Deanna's tent, disappearing into it. She picked at the ground with her fingers. The top layer of snow had frozen and it felt coarse against her fingertips. She let them slide across the surface melting it slowly every time she let her hand sweep from one side to the other. She heard a sound of tent flaps opening and closing behind her and she smiled as she felt the needles starting to prick her skin; Leliana.

They hadn't talked since that night in Denerim. The group had been around ever since they returned from their nightly escapade and there hadn't been much time to take the bard to the side for a private chat. As much as she had enjoyed the kiss, it had been unlike anything she had experienced before, it also frightened her. It seemed as if the kiss had sent sparks flying around them changing something that wasn't supposed to change. Yet another thing Sin found she couldn't figure out, but something had changed that night. She wasn't sure the bard could feel it, but it felt as if something was set off course. She tried not to sigh as she recalled the incident earlier with Deanna and the bard. Sin was sure things looked a lot worse to the bard than what they actually were. '_Way to go, Sin_,' she reprimanded herself.

"Isn't this a little late for a midnight stroll?" She teased as the bard came into view. Leliana looked at her for a while before she sat down next to Sin. She gritted her teeth. The bard caught the motion and she fished into her pocket tossing her charm so that it landed by the entrance of her tent.

"I'm sorry," she said bashfully.

Sin smiled, thankful that the pain had subsided. She could withstand it for longer each time, but coupled with the cutting cold she wasn't like the feeling too much –even if it was the bard causing it.

"So," Sin cleared her throat trying to steer the conversation into something non-what-happened-earlier.

"So," Leliana repeated, fumbling with her belt, "So, we haven't talked since Denerim and I wanted to say that I don't regret it."

Sin didn't reply, but stared into the fire silently.

"I like you..."

Sin sighed, "But you don't know anything about me."

"That's not true," Leliana said sounding a little hurt, "I know you have a knack for killing things –people in particular. I know that you're probably some evil demon and that the only one who has really held your heart is a certain blonde warden..." The last few words were spoken slightly quieter than the rest.

Sin tilted her head studying the bard's face. Her delicate features were highlighted from the warm light of the fire and Sin could see the unmistakable expression of disappointment.

"That's not entirely true," she spoke softly, "What you saw earlier was just the past being solved, it is the past, but besides that there was someone else once before, Dee."

Leliana looked up at her. Sin could see the curiosity cross her face fleetingly.

"I once fell in love with someone who was my mentor and my friend," She paused, thinking for a bit, "He was the first man I ever loved and the last."

"What happened?"

"He died," Sin said simply. Once upon a time just thinking about it had hurt, but it seemed like a different life now.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

Sin ignored Leliana's excuse, pulling out her locket from underneath her woolen shirt, "Do you know why this one was sealed until not long ago?" She raised her eyebrow as she watched the bard's cheeks turn a crimson red. She opened it and held it out for the bard.

"Is that..?"

"My daughter and her father."

"By the Maker she looks so much like you," the bard exclaimed in amazement.

"I never tell people about Nimue because I'm a guilder and I have many enemies who wouldn't hesitate to hurt my daughter. If anyone would be able to simply open the locket I'd be endangering her life."

"You have a daughter..." The bard suddenly realized, "That's why you're doing this, that's what Loghain had to bribe you with!"

Sin looked down at her hands, "Loghain doesn't know about her, but if I'm exonerated it means I can go back home to my daughter. Without leading every single mercenary and solider who's looking to collect the bounty on my head back to my home."

"Does Deanna know?"

Sin shook her head, "Never let anyone know your greatest weakness."

"Then why are you telling me?"

"Because I want you to know me." She could see a smile grow on the bard's lips before she leaned in close, her small hand grabbing Sin's, shoving their intertwined fingers into the warm pocket of her coat then she let her head rest on Sin's shoulder. Sin smiled to herself giving the bard a gentle kiss on her fiery red hair before returning to gaze at the fire.

It seemed like only seconds before she heard the rustling of the templar's armour as he stepped outside. By the expression on his face he'd forgotten just how cold it was outside and gave an involuntary shudder. Taking a deep breath he soon regretted himself as the icy air made his teeth hurt. He shook his head to himself before he looked up. Their eyes locked and Sin knew the bard hadn't been the only one who'd overheard their conversation. He barely gave her a curt nod letting her know she was off the night watch. She shook her head to herself then she softly nudged the bard who'd fallen asleep next to her.

"Hey," she said softly, "Sleepyhead." The bard's eyes fluttered awake and she looked around as if to determine where she was.

"Come on," Sin said pulling her up on her feet, "Let's get you to bed."

"By the Maker its cold," Leliana complained as Sin steered her back to her tent.

"Wait," the bard stopped her in her tracks walking ahead of her to pick up her amulet. She stuffed it in a small leather pouch then walked over to the enchantress' tent and hung it on the side of it. She returned yawning widely. Sin chuckled and shoved her gently forward towards the tent's opening.

"There you go, I walked you home and you arrived safe and sound," Sin bowed then turned to leave for Deanna's tent when she felt a hand grasp her arm.

"Don't go."

"What?" Sin turned in surprise.

"Don't go," the bard repeated looking at her with a new sense of confidence, "I mean, you can if you want to, but I would like you to stay."

"Okay."

"Okay," Leliana smiled as she turned around ducking into the tent.

The warmth from the logs burning in a small container wrapped them instantly as they entered and Sin felt her frozen cheeks almost melt in the heat. Thank the Creators for Wynne's knowledge of fire spells. She quickly closed the flaps to avoid more cold air than necessary sweeping into the tent. She could hear Leliana wrestle with the coat behind her back as she worked to button the layer of flaps together. One layer was the outer layer, then the second layer button up at the far right and kept the cold from the slit getting through and the third layer which button to the far left end made sure the tent were sealed off from the first flaps slit in the middle.

Turning around she was rewarded for her hard work by the gentle kisses from the bard. Sin cleared her throat awkwardly as Leliana let her go. Leliana wore a thin linen tunic covering, well, hardly anything.

"Here, let me help you," the bard whispered as she pushed the thick fur coat off of Sin's shoulders. Then nimble hands helped her out of her boots and leathers all the while Sin studied her face, the side of her nose, the curve of her lips. Letting her hands fall onto Leliana's hips she licked her lips hungrily. She closed her eyes. Parts of her wanted to kill the woman in front of her, the urge was so strong, but the other parts of her burned with desire to ravage the bard in a whole different way.

Sin swallowed thickly and exhaled. Then the bard's lips once again found hers, nipping and sucking, teasing and exploring, urging Sin to uncover every unknown piece of her. Sin could feel passion coursing through her veins, setting her blood on fire, the bard's body pressed tightly against hers, fingers burying them in her long hair. It took all her willpower to break free and she could hear her own, heavy breathing as she remained to keep in control. What if she lost control of the demonic essence inside her? What if it took over? What if the desire empowered it?

"I can't..."

"Yes, you can," Leliana said looking serious, "I trust you," she continued, "I know you won't hurt me," Leliana whispered, pulling her close, her lips brushing against Sin's.

"I can't," Sin started.

"Can't what?"

"I can't stay away from you anymore," she mumbled letting the faint grasp of control she had slip from her fingers as she walked Leliana backwards before lowering her onto the bedrolls.

They crashed down on it, struggling against the thin tunics, eager to be close to each other. Anticipating the others touch. She kissed Leliana with fervour, pulling her closer. The bard gasped, arching into her, their hearts beating in unison, every heartbeat painfully powerful. Arms and legs intertwined themselves, fingers exploring the soft skin as if neither of them had ever done so before. Sin let her tongue taste her lover for the first time eliciting hoarse and lecherous, but soft moans from the bard.

Leliana grabbed Sin's head with her hands, her every fibre aware of Sin's intoxicating kisses and touches. She stopped what she was doing and Leliana whimpered in protest. Sin let her mouth leave a trail of kisses from Leliana's inner thighs, across her taut stomach, following the curve of a voluptuous breast, nipping at the pink rise before gently kissing the skin underneath Leliana's collarbone. She continued up to where jaw met neck before once again claiming the bard's lips with her own as she settled between her silky thighs. She pushed into the bard with one, long thrust. She was rewarded by a moan as Leliana's arm wrapped itself around her neck for support, her other hand stroking Sin. She hissed with pleasure as she felt the bard mimic her thrusts. Using her whole body she pushed in deeper until she felt her lover's soft, velvety walls tightening around her. She slowed her pace to an excruciatingly slow speed pushing Leliana over the edge. Sin could feel Leliana's warmth spasm around her as she let the bard ride the wave of pure bliss. The sound of Leliana's voice and the sensation of the nails that gently raked through her hair drove Sin mad with passion the oncoming storm growing in her abdomen like a wildfire. Finally she succumbed to it and let herself go, losing herself in Leliana. Closing her eyes time slowed to a stop and the world ceased to exist. Only her lover's ragged breath and quiet confirmations of love seemed to exist. In fear of losing herself to the demonic essence she opened her eyes, looking into the bard's blue mesmerised orbs. Could she feel this total loss of reality as well? Holding on to Leliana's eyes she let herself be guided through the intense ecstasy coursing through their bodies until the fire in them subsided.

She slumped to the side, dizzy and out of breath. The bard pulled the thick and warm fur over them, wrapping her arms around her waist, kissing her chest gently. Sin caressed the bard's cheek lazily. Feeling Leliana wrap her arms around her waist she let herself drift off to sleep.

~•~

Something called to her in the night. She could hear the faint whispers and hissing as darkness swirled around her. She tried to fight it off, but the more she tried the darker it grew and the louder the whispers became.

_Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her_; over and over again. The voice kept urging her. She tried to look through the impenetrable darkness. Maybe she could find a way out of here. Her sister appeared to her left. She stared at her, her face and body twitching the same way a dead man twitches shortly after death.

_Kill her, sister. Kill her for me, for mother, for father. __Kill her for, Belkin._

She shook her head in confusion. Lesdra drew closer her head tilting. Get away from me! She wanted to scream, but found she had no voice. She clawed at her throat. What was going?! Her magic, she couldn't use her magic without her voice.

Her sister cackled. '_Silly little Sinniralin, Thinking you can change your fate._'

She fell backwards, backpedaling on her elbows, scrambling to her feet. She could feel Lesdra and the demonic grow stronger. Together they would be unstoppable. She turned to run, but black smoke blocked her way. She spun around, eyes darting from side to side trying to find a way out through the darkness, but it kept closing in. Wake up! Wake up! She tried to shout.

'_You can't little sister. How do you think I always know where you are. I'm watching.'_ Her sister appeared from nowhere her dead eyes only inches away from her. She screamed a soundless scream. Her sister smiled, hands reaching up to grab her when a flash of bright light shot through the dark. She stumbled backwards shielding her eyes from light burning her eyes. She heard her sister shriek. Was it in pain or wrath? She couldn't tell. Lowering her arm she saw a figure stand between her and Lesdra. She blinked trying to clear her vision.

'_I do not fear the dark_.' The voice came strong and vigilante.

'_Leliana?!_'

Sinniralin opened her eyes staring into the bard's. Leliana smiled conspiratorially and gave her a kiss.

"Don't fear the dark, Sinniralin. It cannot hurt you."

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


End file.
